A Gaara Love Story: The Shukaku And The Sharingan
by rainbowweekend
Summary: A demon fox is sealed inside Naruto Uzumaki and so a tale begins. He and his teammates will go up against many evils including a mysterious red-haired boy with the very thing he knows nothing about etched upon his forehead. But what if Sasuke had a sister? What if she had the power to teach that boy, Gaara, about what it means to love? GaaraxOC. GaaraOC. GaaOC. Lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto.__  
_**

******_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language.  
_**

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_I gave it all my oxygen,_

_So let the flames begin. _

_Let the flames begin._

_**- Paramore, Let the Flames Begin**_

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**Prologue**

In the hospital, the nurses called her "Akuma" when the fires started, regardless of the fact her nameplate read "Aimi Uchiha". She burned down that hospital wing when _it_ happened. Her Sharingan aided her in the devastation, something she should not have been able to control at such a young age, the nurses said. She could control her Sharingan, but the chaos inside her was another matter. Sasuke came and visited her every day and sat by her bedside. Her anger subsided only to be replaced by sadness and a desperate need to be not more than a foot away from her twin.

"Look at her," the nurse named Shimasu would whisper to her colleague. "She is only safe with Sasuke around. We cannot afford such an outburst again. I mean, I know her whole family but one being obliterated by her older brother can be hard but she should at least respect where she is and who is taking care of her."

"Shimasu! How can you say that? Aimi is just an ordinary little girl born into an extraordinary family. And now they're all dead! She just lost control. She's so young, how can she be expected to deal with this like it was nothing?! How could _anyone _deal with what those two are going through?"

"She's such a _demon_," Shimasu hissed, her eyes trained on the little girl in the hospital bed crying on her brother's shoulder. While they looked alike, Aimi had a way of surprising you with an angelic expression at times when she first woke up and she hadn't yet realized what had happened, dazzling hazel eyes shining, her little face framed by a long mane of dark hair. Shimasu _hated _her. "One thing's for sure, she cannot be separated from her brother. Clearly, she's unstable. When Iruka asks for a report on his student's wellbeing, I shall merely report back that she cannot be separated from him, for the sake of the entire village. She's as dangerous and as bloodthirsty as her older brother."

Shimasu was wrong. Aimi was not bloodthirsty. When she left the hospital and went to live with Sasuke in sheltered accommodation, her fire dissipated. She had not meant to lose control when they had taken her to the Mental Institute, away from the only person she had left in the world, Sasuke. From then on, she did not lose control. She stayed with Sasuke.

Shimasu saw the Uchiha twins sometimes out by the forest, hurling kunai at logs and throwing shuriken at each other. People often sighed when they saw them.

"Look at them, the poor things. No one in the world," they would say as they passed, on their way to the convenience store, completely ignorant that their sympathetic words would not bring back the Uchiha clan or feed the boy and girl. Shimasu did not sigh when she saw them, but merely glared at the girl who was the reason her wage was cut for a couple of months to go towards repairs.

Shimasu saw them again the day they graduated the ninja academy and that _girl_ was wearing that angelic expression once again, hugging her brother, who merely looked indifferent. He had the same expression and appearance as his older brother now, so it was no longer difficult for Shimasu to hate both of them for what they represented- the dying flames of a dangerous clan, flames that were too lethal to be allowed to burn any longer.

She saw them the day they were placed on a ninja team with the boy who was the Nine Tails' Jinchuriki and Mebuki Haruno's daughter. At that moment, she had ran straight to the Hokage's place of residence, making a formal complaint about the safety of the village, including a very blunt criticism of the fact that the first four man ninja squad had been formulated merely for the sake of Aimi's mental health, something the higher-ups were still very careful about.

"Aimi Uchiha was under my care for six months in the Hidden Leaf Village Mental Institute and I can tell you right now that to even allow her to wear the Leaf Village shinobi headband is preposterous, especially alongside that Uzumaki boy."

She had received a very clipped letter from the Hokage himself telling her that as she was not a shinobi, she was unable to comprehend the reason Team 7 had been created but that the Hokage had his reasons for allowing it. He also made mention of the fact that the Uchiha twins only had each other left in the world and that if she had not the compassion to understand this, perhaps she was not suitable in her post as a nurse at the Mental Institute. And so, Shimasu was fired very brutally, she thought.

When she started her job as a grocer in a little shop on the Leaf Village's main boulevard, she saw them again. The streets were buzzing with the upcoming Chunin exams and she had been asked to deliver some groceries personally to Lady Rouba who was too decrepit to make it to the store. She took a shortcut up a back alley. As she rounded the corner, she was faced with ten _children_. God, how she hated children. Three of them, a boy clad in black with glaring purple makeup on, a cold looking boy with bright red hair and a gourd on his back and a pretty blonde girl carrying a fan, were clearly outsiders, shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Sand.

She hated shinobi too.

They were facing the very ninja squad that had lost Shimasu her job and anger boiled inside her. A group of even younger children cowered behind them. However, just as the outsiders turned to walk away, the boy Uchiha demanded, "Hey, you! Identify yourself!"

The blonde outsider turned around with a lascivious look and said, "Hmm, you mean me?"

_Kids, these days. They're far too young for all this, _Shimasu thought_._

Time really had flown since those days in the hospital. Sasuke and Aimi had only grown more attractive with age, something this female Sand ninja must have recognized.

"No, him. We mean the guy with the gourd on his back," Aimi replied, glaring for a fraction of a second at the blonde ninja clearly attempting to advance on her brother and pointing at the one with the red hair and an attitude problem that could rival only Aimi's twin.

_Pointing_, Shimasu scoffed inwardly, _she never did have any manners._

"My name is Gaara of the Desert. And I'm curious about you too, you and your... friend. Who are you?" That boy's voice was so cold, Shimasu shivered inwardly, as if her bones were turning to ice.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha. This is my twin sister, Aimi Uchiha," Sasuke replied with a smirk and a sly grin spread across Aimi's face. God, Shimasu wished murder wasn't illegal. Their arrogance made her skin crawl.

That was when the Nine Tails boy burst in, desperate to be acknowledged. However, he was shot back by the one with the red hair. There was a moment then that Shimasu only noticed because of years of recognizing cues of patients under interview, trying to pinpoint the moment they would explode. It had been her job to learn this about Aimi for six months and in that moment, she noticed Aimi's eyes soften toward the one with the gourd on his back for such a tiny fraction of a second that she almost missed it, but there it was, a soft expression that Shimasu had only seen Aimi reserve for her brother.

The one with the gourd had his back to Shimasu and so she did not see his expression and in any case, he and his companions walked away from the scene in that moment, quite free from the knowledge that Aimi Uchiha had just developed a little crush on the cold, red haired one with the attitude problem.

_Poor soul_. _I feel sorry for him. An attitude problem and an annoying admirer with the ability to leave chaos in her wake wherever she goes, _Shimasu thought, turning away, deciding she would take another route rather than having to formally greet her former patient.

Shimasu Yamanaka was not a very good judge of character.

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**Author's Note: So, expect this to be a rewrite of Naruto and possibly Naruto: Shippuden in which Sasuke has a twin sister who is just as badass as Sasuke and just as fierce as Gaara. Also, I promise we shall not be hearing from Shimasu from now on, it will be predominantly from Aimi's POV. Consider me in this for the long haul if you are.**

**The only things I currently plan to change from the direct story without Aimi's influence changing things are that Dosu is not killed by Gaara and is set to fight Aimi rather than Shikamaru, Kabuto's team are a team of four and obviously that Sasuke has a sister who is also on Team 7.  
**

**Please let me know if you like it and if you want more, so REVIEW :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. I wish I owned Gaara and Kiba shirtless though.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

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_Alright, so you think you're ready?  
_

_Okay then you say this with me, go_

_"We were born for this."_

_**- Paramore, Born for This**_

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**Aimi's POV**

"Now, if we're ready, we'll proceed to the first stage of the Chunin exams. Hand over your paperwork. In return, you'll each be given a number. This number determines where you'll sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated."

Sufficed to say, Naruto was freaking out. Neither Sasuke, Sakura or I were particularly flustered- all of us were intelligent enough to pass any test they threw at us. Then again, nothing ever flustered Sasuke. But Naruto had never held academia in much stead, preferring to eat ramen or practice his Sexy Jutsu. I tried not to worry about him; he would be fine if he just focused.

Sasuke and I led the way for the rookies, handing over our paperwork first. The official who collected in our paperwork glanced over our names and gave us both that sympathetic glance that everyone had given us since it happened, since we were left with only each other in this world. I gave him my most winning smile in order to let him know that his sympathy was unfounded and let Sasuke do the icy glare he was so accustomed to. The official, however, continued with that "I'm–sorry-your-brother-murdered-your-whole-family -and-it's-just-you-two-now" look and handed me a card with the number "88" on it.

"Good luck, Aims," Sasuke murmured, giving me that small smile I was sure only I had ever seen and going off to look for "32".

"You too," I whispered, suddenly faced with a room full of people, the whites of their eyes all trained, towards the front, in my direction. I hurriedly walked out of the path of their sight and found seat eighty-eight. But there was already someone sitting there.

It was that boy. The one with the bright red hair and those piercing green eyes. His gourd was on the floor beside him and he was looking down at the blank piece of paper before him, his perfectly chiseled features radiating boredom.

"Erm, excuse me," I started, only to be greeted by those cold eyes. "I think you're sitting in my spot."

Immediately, I felt like I should probably just have found another available seat and be asked to move by someone who wasn't quite so unfriendly. Or to just go and ask for my seat number again. Anything would have been preferable to the stare this boy was giving me. It was like he was looking past the hazel in my eyes and right down into my soul, daring me to look away.

"I doubt it," he replied in that deep, cold voice. He very slowly lifted up his hand to show me his seat number and pointed to the number engraved in the desk. They both said "eighty-nine".

"Oh! I'm sorry! I thought that said eighty-eight. I'm sorry!" I stammered, grinning sheepishly and taking my place next to him, quite thankful for this sudden spark of luck. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He didn't seem like the talking type. The only type he seemed was the cold, handsome thing Sasuke was always trying (and managing from the way Sakura and Ino reacted to him) to pull off. I left him to it and tried to focus on Ibiki. I would have the remaining twenty minutes of the test to look at Gaara out of the corner of my eye. I had been wrong before, I noted, as I let my mind wander off whilst Ibiki explained rules written out on the blackboard. Gaara was also that type of guy that you'd be happy just to look at, just to watch. The way he moved was so deliberate, like every movement had been planned. He was very much the opposite of Naruto, who flailed about like a fish out of water. He was so defined and vibrant. Yet, my shinobi senses were tingling, warning me to be wary.

_Focus, Aimi. You're under test conditions. He's the enemy, don't get sucked in. Every sucker in this room is your enemy, _I thought, regaining my composure.

"Begin!"

The test began. It only took me a minute to figure it out. There was no way this was a test on knowledge of shinobi. They weren't testing us on history or science but on our ability _as _shinobi, that would be why we were promoted to chunin. It was a test on gathering intelligence. And this was something I was well equipped for. I unleashed my Sharingan and began searching the room for someone, someone older, someone clearly too sure of their hand movements, someone who was already writing, someone placed there by the examiner who we were meant to cheat from. I was in luck; he was directly in front of me and two seats to the left. He was just getting to the second question and I began copying his hand movements with my Sharingan. Twenty minutes later, I knew I'd found the right guy as he began rewriting the questions out all over again.

_Definitely the right guy. He's starting his second set for the idiots who have only just realized it's a test for cheating, _I thought, sitting back. Next to me, Gaara had one eye shut and was writing smoothly, as if he had a little migraine and was just trying to work out the answers. No doubt he had found his own way to cheat. He caught me looking and I flashed him a knowing smile. He turned his head away just as quickly as he had glanced at me, rebuffing me.

I sat back for the next twenty five minutes, surveyed the other rookies tactics at cheating. I watched Kiba for a while, using Akamaru so blatantly that I was surprised he had not been disqualified already. Naruto, however, was just sitting there, stewing.

Ten minutes passed and finally, the test was over. Ibiki hadn't managed to frighten me into giving in and I had faith in Naruto to come through when it mattered – he always did. As we dispersed and I got out of my chair, I turned to Gaara who was picking up his gourd and securing it around his waist.

"See you at the next test, I guess," I said, grinning at him and breezing past him. He did not respond.

**Gaara's POV**

That hour had been torture. Her blood had smelled so sweet, Mother told me. I had wanted her. I had wanted her so I could kill her.

But normally when this happens, the prey averts its eyes from me. She should've avoided contact with me; she shouldn't have been so casual about her good bye. Hell, she shouldn't have even said good bye.

She had no fear of me whatsoever.

_This is going to be interesting _I thought.

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**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! I've finished the next chapter and I'm halfway through the one afterwards and pouring over Naruto episodes obsessively.  
**

**Please REVIEW and let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. I am suffering from a pretty serious bout of labyrinthitis again though.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**  


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_This is war_

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_The moment to live and the moment to die_

_- **30 Seconds to Mars, This is War**_

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**Aimi's POV**

As it happened, I did not see Gaara or his siblings during the next test. I didn't have time to think about it. As we entered the building at the center of the Forest of Death, my mind was not focused on him but rather on the pain Sasuke kept complaining of in his neck. I offered to help him, but he simply pushed me away. I was relying on the moment when we got to Kakashi-sensei. Once we got to Kakashi, we could fix it. We would be okay and my brother would be safe. I had been knocked unconscious after attempting to go toe to toe to the snake demon the very second she arrived in our midst. Sakura would not explain to me what had happened whilst I had been unconscious except that during the recovery period, I clung onto Sasuke desperately. I did not question them nor did I want to question them, I just believed them and put my faith in my brother to be stronger than whatever was hurting him.

Iruka-sensei welcomed us back after the test, greeting us with his warm smile and bright personality, hyping Naruto up about ramen to the point where I was sure Sasuke was going to kick his ass had he not had his own ass kicked in that forest a few days ago.

We went into the main auditorium and lined up in our teams. As usual, we were the last to assemble. Around me, I noticed all of the other rookie teams, Rock Lee's team, the sound ninja, Kabuto's team and Gaara's team. There he was, as emotionless as ever, stood there at the head of his team, glaring at the ground. He did not turn to watch us walk in as the others did. Kabuto, in his team of four- a number rare for a ninja squad, gave us a wave and Rock Lee even went so far as to wink and give a thumbs-up to Sakura.

"I think you have yourself an admirer," I whispered to her, nudging her as we settled into line. She blushed crimson and glanced between Sasuke, Lee and myself, an expression of horror on her face. Sasuke did not register what I had said. His eyes were trained on the other contenders.

The woman who had been in charge of the second exam came forward and addressed us. "Alright, now pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you! You better listen carefully, maggots! Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

The Hokage came forward and informed us of the "true meaning of the exams" and of how, by participating in the Chunin exams, we were to represent our own countries and to carry "the pride of our nation".

_He _spoke then. "Any test is fine; just tell me what the details of the exam are. I can handle anything you throw at me."

My eyes snapped to him then, stood there bold as brass like he was indestructible, those eyes now boring into the Hokage. His features were just as striking as they had been during the first test. That was when I noticed it- not one speck of dust on his clothing, not one tiny scratch visible on his body or face.

_How did he do that? _I wondered, my eyes narrowing as the Hokage continued speaking. I could see Sasuke out of the corner of my eye behind me watching Gaara, obviously thinking the exact same thing.

At that moment, a man leapt in front of the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, before you do, please allow me, Hayate Gekko, appointed as proctor of the third exam, to speak first. There's something I would like all of you to do," the man told us, pausing to cough, "before the third exam." He paused again to cough violently. He was without a doubt a heavy smoker. "We have to have a preliminary exam before we can move on to the third exam."

There was an outburst, with Sakura as the mouthpiece. Hayate Gekko informed us that they needed to deplete the amount of candidates severely and that they would be beginning the preliminary exams immediately. They offered a back out to everyone and Kabuto, the man Naruto and Sasuke had "befriended" of sorts, took it. He left immediately.

"Now then, does anybody else wanna quit?"

Sasuke and Sakura began whispering amongst themselves viciously about something. I chose to ignore it, letting them fight, allowing my brother his privacy. However, Naruto did not quite have the same tact.

"What're you biting her head off for, you idiot?! It's just because she cares about you!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke.

"Naruto, you're one of the ones I want to fight the most," Sasuke told him, smirking.

I smirked too. _That shut him up_, I thought.

The proctor introduced the exam and they opened the panel and told us that the names would appear on the display behind him.

Sasuke was chosen first again a man from Kabuto's team named Yoroi.

"Good luck," I told him, hugging him fiercely. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered so quietly back that I could barely hear him. I went up onto the upper level with Naruto and Sakura, looking back the whole time at him letting him know I was here, that he was not alone.

By the end of his match, though Sasuke had not started out with any sort of excellence, Sasuke had easily defeated Yoroi with Lee's stolen move and his incredible speed. I could not help but appreciate my brother's sheer nerve and natural talent, born unto him by our clan, born unto us.

"Lion's Barrage!" he yelled, finishing him off.

"As the winner of this preliminary round, Sasuke Uchiha advances to the next round!"

"YES!" I yelled.

"Way to go! Hey, Sasuke! You okay? You won but in such an uncool way! You came out looking like you're the one who got beat up!" Naruto laughed, giddy with excitement.

"Hey, shut up, dickwad! He did better than you will," I replied, nudging him and laughing too. Kakashi took Sasuke away, hopefully to heal whatever was going on with his neck, although I was still totally in the dark with that.

_What the hell happened in that forest? _I wondered, beginning to worry a little about that mark. _Let it go, Aimi. Sasuke would want you to concentrate on preparing for your battle._

The next match was Shino versus one of the Sound ninja with Shino winning, outclassing the arrogant one effortlessly, after which Kakashi returned and brought us the news that Sasuke would be just fine.

The next match was one more of Kabuto's team and Gaara's brother. I watched carefully as Gaara did not so much as acknowledge his brother as he went to take center stage. He seemed completely indifferent to others. Even Sasuke who was not the most emotional of people had always been incredibly protective of me, shielding me from anything and everything he could. Now I came to think of it, Gaara's brother barely even acknowledged Gaara on his way down. What the hell was going on with that family?

Kankuro conquered his opponent comfortably and stalked off to join his brother and sister across the room from us, on the opposite balcony. As he joined them, I glanced at Gaara and found that I had caught his eye. His arms were folded and his eyes were as frozen as ever, a strange look of determinism in the shadows of his face. I could not understand him, and yet, I felt a strange urge to try.

I was momentarily distracted by Sakura and Ino's fight, cheering her on with Naruto furiously. I glanced over to the Sand Siblings who looked utterly bored with the fight. I could see why, to a certain extent. They did not understand the great personal matter involved in Sakura and Ino's fight.

Next up to fight was Gaara's sister. She was pitted against Tenten, a member of Lee's squad. They stepped up, both looking confident. As the match began, Tenten immediately leapt to a safe position with Lee and Guy cheering raucously.

"Hey, Naruto, how did we get stuck in the cheering section?" I whispered, giggling. He grinned and gave Guy and Lee dark looks.

"C'mon girl, show me what you got!" Temari called to her opponent.

"Okay, if you insist! Just remember you asked for it!"

Tenten began her attack yet somehow managed to miss her. The battle continued in such a way whereby Tenten's attacks failed miserably against Temari and her huge fan and wind power. The match was over quickly with Temari remarking, ""Wasn't much of a match, kinda boring."

Gekko declared Temari the winner and Temari threw Tenten's lifeless body across the arena where Lee leapt down to catch her. He yelled at Temari for her disrespect and attempted to attack her. She blocked his attack and shot him down brutally, as uncaring for his opinion as one could possibly be. Gai-sensei leapt in to stop Lee from disqualification and it was then that Gaara spoke.

"Temari, forget them. The match is over so forget them. You won, why are you wasting your time with that pathetic loser and his ridiculous mentor?"

Immediately, the tension is the room was palpable, with Lee visibly shaking. Gai warned Gaara of Lee's abilities yet Gaara was just as uncaring as his elder sister had been.

The next match was Shikamaru against a woman from the Hidden Sound village, a very dangerous looking kunoichi. He used his great strategic ability and it made for a very interesting match. Naruto's match followed and as usual, it began with him looking like the underdog and ended with him defeating Kiba and coming back up to the balcony with a self-assured swagger that he absolutely deserved. Following this was Hinata and Neji's battle, the two cousins descended from the Hyuga clan. It was painful to watch, but Hinata fell gracefully and Naruto vowed to avenge her defeat.

The next match was easily the most interesting- Rock Lee versus Gaara. At the beginning, Kankuro, Gaara's brother came over to join us. He seemed so sure of Gaara being victorious, yet he seemed fearful, almost jealous of his power. He commentated and explained Gaara's sand shield as Gaara flaunted his absolute defence, the sand that obeyed his will and worked of its own accord to defend him. Lee kept upping his game, opening the chakra gates but Gaara eventually overpowered him and while Lee fought bravely and fell just as gracefully and with as much to be proud of as Hinata, it was obvious that Gaara was not to be messed with.

Choji came next and was defeated by the leader of the Sound ninja squad in an almost laughable sense. However, he'd done his best and that was all that could be asked.

That just left me and the remaining member of Kabuto's squad.

"Aimi Uchiha versus Katsu Ishida," flashed upon the screen and I began my descent to the main arena, my pulse racing. I couldn't wait to get started. All my life, I had been subject to Sasuke overshadowing me, to the curse of our clan following me around, my last name making me into a sad story rather than an excellent shinobi. Now, I would have the chance to prove everyone that I was more than just my name, whilst also doing my name proud. Sasuke dreamed of murdering Itachi for what he'd done to our clan and while given half the chance I would've done the same, I wanted to be more than that sad story. I wanted mother to look down upon me and see that I had not become consumed by hatred or by our curse but that I'd become an incredible kunoichi.

The fact that Gaara was in the room did not escape my notice and after watching his battle, I wanted to prove to him that there was someone in this room who could rival him easily – me. Unlike Sasuke, who spent a lot of time talking and acting tough, I preferred to put it into practice much more. I poured over books and followed the jonin Senseis around, begging them for help until I honed the fire and lightning elements in my chakra perfectly. I would show it in this battle against this man.

We faced off and like the other two men in his team he wore glasses and piece of material that was very much like a headscarf. "You're out of your league, kid. I don't care if you are one of the last remaining members of the Uchiha clan. You will _die _here."

If he was going to talk tough so would I. I made sure I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, including Gaara. "I'd be careful if I were you, I like to play with my food." I grinned widely, an evil glint in my eye.

"Begin."

Contrary to what I said, I'm not that much of a fan of playing with my food and while I'd honed my ninjutsu quite extensively, it drained my chakra quickly if I kept it up too long. So I didn't waste any time. I immediately leapt to the fingertip of the giant carved hands forming a hand sign at the fore of the arena and attacked before he could even gather his thoughts.

"Ninja Art: Lightning Fire Tornado!" I shouted, lifted my hands towards the heavens, to the ceiling where a whirlwind of fire and lightning raged downwards, coming to meet the ground right where poor Katsu had been trying to think of his first move. The colossal vortex swallowed him up whole, burning him and shocking him where he stood for only a moment. I would not allow it to kill him and as such, I allowed it to dissipate just as quickly as I had conjured it. My opponent lay on the ground.

"Is he dead?" I heard Ino whisper from the balcony above.

"Alright, Aimi! Show them exactly what you're made of! That was incredible!" Naruto was yelling, dancing gleefully.

"And all this time we thought _Sasuke _was the stronger one," Shikamaru remarked to Choji who nodded fervently. I saluted, having barely broken a sweat.

"And the winner is Aimi Uchiha," Gekko declared in a quiet voice.

I jumped to the center of the arena and yelled, "Hey, Naruto! That's what you call a clean win!"

"Oh yeah?! Well, you don't fight fair! That poor guy didn't even get a chance to think!" Naruto shouted back, just as Katsu was stretchered off hurriedly by medical ninjas.

"Just his bad luck he got me then, huh?" I beamed up at Kakashi-sensei and turned to the opposite balcony. Sure enough, he was staring.

_Damn right, Gaara. And I bet you thought up until that point that Sasuke was the one to beat, _I thought to myself, smirking up at him.

"May all the winners of their preliminaries please gather down here for information on the third exam?" Gekko called, inviting us all to join him. I stood in front of him and waited for Naruto to leap up on my back and giggle his excitement at my win. Sure enough, he did. The winners gathered around Gekko in a loose semi-circle while he addressed us and gave us the details on the third exam, to be fought in a month. We were given our numbers and shown the battle plan. I was pitted against Dosu, the sound ninja. This didn't worry me. His weapon was the sound emitter on his arm and if I could get to it before he could use it, I would be victorious.

I did notice Sasuke would fight against Gaara.

_Well, that should be interesting, _I considered. I would've worried about Sasuke after Gaara took down Lee without even breaking a sweat, but I knew my brother - his nerve and drive were unsurpassable. I knew I'd win all my matches and if so, I would either face off against Gaara or Sasuke eventually.

The next test would at least be stimulating.

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**Author's Note:** **Sorry for going over the Chunin exams, but obviously they're a pretty integral part of the story. If I get up to 5 reviews, I'll update this tomorrow :)**

**Please REVIEW! **

**I hope you liked it.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. I guess I own this cup of tea. That's okay, right?__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

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_In my daydreams, in my sleep_

_Infatuation turning into disease_

_- **the Spill Canvas, All Over You**_

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**Aimi's POV**

By the time the Chunin preliminary exams were over, the daylight had already given way to the darkness. I had already asked Gai and Asuma-sensei if visitors were allowed in the hospital yet and since Naruto refused to believe that they were not, I went back to the accommodation Sasuke and I shared together. I entered our apartment, eerie without my brother's self-confidence filling the rooms like a musk fragrance. I was saddened to see where Sasuke'd left some spare kunai on the desk so many days ago, just before we left for the Chunin exams second test. My heart ached for him, to know what was going on with him. My attempts at gathering information from Kakashi were fruitless. He merely brushed me off; telling me Sasuke would be home "soon". However, having spent nearly all my life since _it_ had happened with Sasuke by my side and now to be alone made me nervous. The darkness fell imminent when I was alone like this, waves of anxiety lapping at my feet.

As I went into my room, I realized how much the day had tired me out. I put on some of Sasuke's sweatpants and an oversized T shirt, opened the screen door that led onto the balcony and clambered into bed. I faced the outside world, trying to summon bravery and listened to the whistle of the wind as it lulled me to sleep.

In my dream, Gaara was there. Those poisonous eyes and that glare, they were in the dream. His staring was unbearable and I was begging him to stop, to let me touch him. Just _touch _him.

I awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright as my dream released me. In the corner of my eye, I saw something flicker on the balcony. My heart stopped.

Someone had been watching me sleep.

My heart began to race and I grabbed Sasuke's spare kunai from the desk, ready to face the creep of an imposter. As I reached the balcony, I saw no one, so I turned to the roof behind me.

He sat about twenty meters back on the roof, the gourd still firmly tied around his waist, as it was just a few hours ago. In my heart, I already knew who it was and so, my body settled.

As I leapt toward him, I prepared myself to question him on the dark glares and the cutting words and now this - watching me_ sleep_?

I went to sit by him, albeit warily. No one spoke for a good five minutes as I gathered my composure.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked sharply, trying to push the flashback of his sand crushing Lee's left limbs. It was easier than I thought, as the memory of my easy victory also came. Gaara had watched it with his own eyes. He knew I was powerful.

He completely ignored me, not even acknowledging me. His eyes were staring into the dark silhouettes and shadows of the Hidden Leaf Village, but they were unseeing.

"Look, if you're looking for Sasuke and trying to gain some intelligence or just to _kill _him, he isn't here. You'll have to wait a while," I spat at him, giving him a ferocious glare, daring him to even attempt to intimidate me. He could be as murderous and as cruel as he wanted but he wouldn't scare me. I would show him I could be equally as ruthless.

It was then that he finally looked at me. True, he did not even bother moving his head, but those sea foam green irises were looking at me now, doing that thing where they bored into my soul.

"Hmm, you're stupid," he said, in that chilling voice. I had no response because the thing was, he was probably right. The silence dragged on with me stood next to him for five good minutes before he spoke again. "Don't you know what I am? What I will do to you?"

I ignored his threat and took him head on. I wouldn't play his games, so I took him head on. "What are you then?" I didn't realize I was breathing as heavily as I was.

He looked down at his hands, folded in his lap. "I was born a demon. My father, the Kazekage, in an attempt to make me the ultimate weapon for the Village Hidden in the Sand, sealed a demon inside me, the demon also known as the One Tailed Shukaku. Just as my mother gave me life, I took hers with me. She died giving birth to me because I killed her. As time progressed, my father realized he could not harness my power; I was too strong, too volatile. The whole village knew it too and I was isolated. The Kazekage," he spat the word out like it was diseased, "then decided he had no use for me. Since then, he has tried to have me assassinated more times than I count and in that time, I killed more would be assassins than I can count. I tried to find the meaning to life, to see my purpose. If one has no purpose, no reason to live, it is the same as being dead. And then it came to me. In order to exist, I must first destroy everyone who threatens my existence. In order to live, I must kill. I love only myself; I take care of only myself. The only ties I have for any of the people in my life, my siblings, and my father are the ones I would like to wrap around their necks. I will kill your brother during the next exam. And if you get in my way, I will kill you."

It was the longest I had ever heard him speak.

"So you're truly evil, huh?" I asked him, appraising him with warm eyes. I didn't know why, but at that moment, a fire began in my heart, a fire I was sure could never go out. I did not even fear for my brother; I knew he could take care of himself. I sat down about four feet away from him and watched his beautiful, striking face turn to me.

"What's wrong with you? Aren't you scared?" he asked, his tone dead as if he truly did not care greatly for the answer yet it was just a way to pass the time.

"What's wrong with me?! You're one to talk!" I exclaimed. His expression faltered then for a short moment before he regained his composure. "Why're you here, Gaara?"

"Your blood," he said, no ounce of the weight of what he was saying seeping into his tone. "Your blood is so sweet, Mother tells me. And I want it. I want it so badly. But I shall have to wait. You're too strong right now. You're only four feet away from me now and my body is so tempted to reach out my sand down your throat or to crush your bones and incapacitate you. However, my mind has watched you fight and I know you're too fast, too strong to be taken head on. I'll have to take you by surprise and murder you in your sleep when you're alone. That was my plan. I _will _remind myself I'm alive."

I didn't know what to say in that moment. I didn't know how I should feel. "I'm not afraid of you, Gaara," I told him truthfully.

"You should be. I am a killer, a monster." His voice was barely more than a whisper now and he was staring into the distance.

"Monsters don't talk as much as you do," I replied, giving him a wry smile. He didn't respond except to bow his head slightly. He didn't realize what I meant was, 'monsters aren't as beautiful as you.'

The rest of the night was spent in total silence. I sat by him the whole night, not out of fear of his threats but because I truly wanted to be by his side for some reason. He didn't terrify me. I was born of the Uchiha clan and I had watched my elder brother murder my whole clan. I did not fear death; I found more fear in life. And so, Gaara of the Desert, with his ruthless urge to murder and his ability to manipulate sand to his will intrigued me. I wanted to know him better, to delve into the darkness.

The dawn burned over the Village Hidden in the Leaves with a force that I could not understand after my night under the weakness of the moon.

"Do you ever sleep?" I asked him, speaking for the first time in hours, surprising myself.

"No." He didn't add anything else. I sensed he had decided to prove me wrong about him talking a lot. It didn't matter to me. He'd already spent the whole night on the roof, whether he was thirsty for my blood or not. I knew I -or my blood- intrigued him too.

He left without saying a word, merely glancing a goodbye in my direction before leaping away.

After that, I went straight to bed, without fear or nightmares. And it was not because I doubted Gaara's urge to kill me, I just knew his mentor and siblings wouldn't let him out of their sight during daylight. It was that I finally felt I knew what was wrong with the red haired boy who thought himself a demon.

I awoke to a knocking at the door and found Sakura, looking like a forlorn puppy as she looked past me, clearly hoping to see my brother.

"Sakura, I was asleep," I rasped, rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"

Her expression turned stern then and her eyes flashed. "It's three pm! You should be up by now! I wanted to see if Sasuke was okay so I came to check if he was here... but I guess he's not. Wanna come to the hospital with me and we'll see how he's doing?"

"Sure," I replied, beaming. "Just let me get ready. Come in."

Sakura had been in our apartment before many times, however, never with Sasuke around. She went straight to the kitchen, grabbed herself a bottle of Coke and went into the living room where she dropped on the sofa, sighed heavily and flicked on a cartoon.

I showered quickly, taking the time to let the billowing steam cleanse away my fatigue from being asleep for a lot of the day. Once I'd dried myself, I got dressed into my usual short black skirt, black tank top and fishnets, tied my forehead protector around my upper arm and collected Sakura.

Once we were on the street, I found myself looking every which way for the red haired boy with the gourd on his back, or even his siblings. As we neared the hospital, I was failing quite miserably to be sly about it.

"What're you looking for, Aimi?" Sakura asked, looking down the side street I was staring down where I'd seen a guy with auburn spiky hair walking into a convenience store.

"It's more like whom," I muttered, unintentionally louder than I'd meant to be.

"What do you mean 'whom'"?! Aimi Uchiha, tell me exactly who you were looking for and what his name is!" Sakura screeched excitedly, grabbing me and shaking me.

"Sakura, shh! It's nothing!" I hissed. "I'm not saying."

"You tell me right now or I'll tell Sasuke and Naruto."

I froze then. If Sasuke and Naruto found out they'd never let it go. This was no time to be stubborn. If Sasuke found out how I was beginning to feel about Gaara, he'd kick my ass for liking the enemy and Naruto would never forgive me for liking him after what Gaara did to Lee. That had hit him pretty hard.

I groaned. "Ugh, fine. It's Gaara," I whispered.

"Who?"

"Gaara."

"WHAT?! THAT SAND NINJA WHO TOOK DOWN LEE?!"

I grimaced. "Yes."

"But why?!"

"I dunno. It must be my Uchiha blood. We must be attracted to psychos or something," I told her, meaning exactly what I said. Neither of my parents were what you call calm. Both of them were fighters from what I remember. Sasuke, Itachi and I were all living proof of that.

Sakura suddenly began thinking very hard and her features scrunched up, her fists clench.

Realizing what she was thinking, I quickly intervened. "Sakura, I'm only kidding. Sasuke isn't going to like you more if you start injuring people and being cold and withdrawn."

She gasped and for the first time, I noticed a sad look in her eye so I decided to cheer her up. "Besides, being cold and withdrawn is his game," I said, winking at her and grinning.

She laughed. Warmly, she asked, "So have you had any signs that he might like you too?"

I snorted. "Are you kidding?! The only way Gaara wants me is dead. That's the only way he wants anyone, I think. He doesn't see me in any other way, if even that."

"Why do you like him?" Sakura asked as the hospital came into sight.

"I don't know. I'm so used to being close to someone who's withdrawn anyway that it doesn't put me off that he's so icy. I just want to know who he really is, why he's so cold and cruel. And he's so beautiful, you can't deny that."

She nodded seriously. "I see what you mean, he _is_ really hot," she said as we walked inside the hospital reception. "He has that dark, sexy, smoldering thing going on."

"Right?! That's exactly what I thought!"

"Like Sasuke."

"Er, no. My brother's a pussycat. You guys just like his duckbutt haircut," I countered. Girls liked how grumpy he was. "He just acts like that because he's so frightened of trusting people." Sakura was clinging on to every word I said, as she always did when I talked about Sasuke.

"Hi, we're here to see Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura told the receptionist hurriedly, still holding my gaze, hoping I'd talk more about my brother.

"Sorry, no visitors allowed, he's in a private room." The receptionist was a blond nurse with a surly tone and far too much makeup caked upon her face. She was around her late thirties, obviously bitter about the wrinkles that were starting to appear around her eyes and was judging us because of our age.

"Look, he's my brother and I'm worried about him. My sensei told me he would be fine, so why can't I see him?" I asked, desperation entering my voice.

The receptionist flinched at the word "brother" and her eyes flashed to my face, clearly recognizing the typical Uchiha features. "I'm sorry, Miss Uchiha. Your brother is in good hands but you are not permitted to see him. We'll notify you as soon as you can see him."

"Fine," I grumbled. "C'mon, Sakura, wanna go see if we can find anyone?"

"Sure."

We stepped out onto the streets of the Leaf Village and wandered round. I was looking down every street, in every store, desperate to see him. As we passed the grocery store, the woman at the counter gave me a very dirty look.

"Sheesh, that woman looks mad," I commented.

"Hey, look!" Sakura whispered, pointing down the boulevard to where three people stood admiring the display window at the Leaf Village visitor's center.

Temari and Kankuro flanked Gaara, both of them engrossed in something in the window. He looked completely indifferent as always, glaring at nothing in particular. As Sakura and I walked further down the boulevard, I heard Temari say, "I can't make heads or tails of this map. Which way _is it_ to the hot springs?"

I couldn't stop myself. "Hey, you're Temari, right?"

She turned to me with an unreadable look. "Yeah. We've met before, haven't we, in the Chunin exams? Your brother's the hot one." Sakura froze next to me, clearly trying to bite her tongue.

"Yeah," I said, grinning. Kankuro and Gaara had turned to me now too. He gave no sign that we had spent the previous night in each other's company. "We were just heading to the hot springs-"

"We were?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Yeah, we were," I snapped. "We could take you if you like."

"Sure." We set off walking. While Temari and Kankuro were very friendly towards me, they seemingly ignored Sakura as much as Gaara ignored all of us. You could tell they were the kind of people who valued power, something that would have been an unavoidable way of living when your brother was Gaara.

"So, have you started training for the third exam yet?" Kankuro inquired, clearly looking for some intel.

"Nope. I should do, I guess, but I had a rough night so I'm resting today," I sighed, hinting at Gaara, who did not even take a moment to look at me, he just kept walking with his siblings. "You?"

"You don't really need to train that hard, in my opinion. It's clear you're a winner," Temari offered.

"Says you guys! You destroyed your opponents. All three battles were incredible," I gushed. I wasn't lying either, their battle styles were fascinating, particularly Gaara's.

Temari beamed at me then, giving me an approving look. "You were pretty amazing too. I was really impressed. In fact, I wouldn't mind training with you sometime."

"I would, you know, but _when_ I win my match against this sound ninja, I might be fighting you and then you'd know my jutsu and be able to use it against me."

"I've already seen your jutsu. Plus, you've see mine too and you'd see more, so it'd be like a double disadvantage."

I was beginning to like her. "Okay, sure! Why not?"

"That's what these exams are about anyway, right? International friendship and all that?" Kankuro asked. I nodded. The hot springs were coming into view now.

"I guess we're here then," Temari said, giving me another smile and thanking me. We exchanged addresses and she promised to stop by some time and see if I wanted to do some training.

I nodded and Sakura and I began to walk away. "See you, Temari, Kankuro," I called to them. "Bye, Gaara."

"Bye!" Temari and Kankuro shouted back.

"Those guys are certainly different, aren't they?" Sakura said, sounding fatigued. "I see what you mean about Gaara."

"Uh-huh, totally uninterested."

The rest of the day we spent talking to Ino in her dad's flower shop and I practically urged the clock to tick faster inwardly to bring about nightfall. Ino began shutting up the shop at around seven pm and we all went our separate ways. I practically ran back to the apartment and watched some dull television until about ten pm. When the clock hit ten, I went to open the screen door again and sat cross legged on my bed, waiting for him.

At around midnight, I was close to giving up when suddenly a silhouette silently cast its shadow into my midst. He saw me sitting there and immediately leapt up onto the roof. I went out to follow him into the cool night.

He was sitting in the exact same spot as before, refusing to acknowledge me and so I went and sat right by him, leaving a three foot distance.

"It was nice to see you today," I ventured, trying to start a conversation.

"It was nice of you to take time out of your day to take us there," he replied, staring as he had the previous night down into the village.

I didn't know how to respond and he surprised me when he said, "you look tired."

"I'm not tired," I responded, stifling a yawn. His lip curled upward a little then, as close to a smile as I'd ever seen before.

"I won't kill you tonight. I could but I want to fight your brother in the Chunin exams and I'd be disqualified for murdering my opponent's sister if I did that. Plus, I have a job to do and killing you would cause trouble. I'll have to wait until the Chunin exams are over to kill you." He was talking a lot again and very nonchalantly so I knew I was drawing him out a little.

I deliberately ignored his flippant plotting of my murder. "What job do you have to do?"

"Nothing," he muttered darkly. "Shut up and lie back. Sleep."

For some reason, his voice didn't seem to hold the same malice when he told me to "shut up" as I'd heard previously and so for some strange reason, I did as he instructed, lying under the silver moon on my back. The sound of his steady breathing and the pleasantries of the dark night eventually lulled me to sleep.

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**Author's Note: As promised, I updated today :) I hope you like it. Please REVIEW and follow and favorite. I'd love to know what you guys think of it. **

**A lemon is coming in the next chapter also ;)**

**REVIEW. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. If I did, Neji would not be dead. He would be alive and married to Tenten.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

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_I only want sympathy in the form of you_

_crawling into bed with me._

_-** Fall Out Boy, Dance Dance**_

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**Aimi's POV**

I awoke to an indigo sky as the sun gently nudged at the horizon. I sighed softly and, upon realizing where I was, I sat up with a start.

"So, you're awake?" he murmured, still in the exact same position as before, his emerald eyes trained on my face. "You sleep very quietly. It's like you're not really here."

I didn't answer him at first, brushing the sand out of my hair, trying to be inconspicuous. "Why don't you sleep?"

"If I sleep, I can't be sure that I won't lose myself to it. If I let go and fall asleep, what if I cease to exist? I must stay alive. Falling asleep would be letting it take over. It never sleeps, so I never do either," he explained, his voice rasping.

"Aren't you lonely at night?" I inquired, concern welling up inside of me. There was no doubt about it, Gaara was dangerous. But I'd been there, I'd been considered dangerous once and if Sasuke had left me, would I have turned out like Gaara? "Aren't you lonely all the time?"

He visibly flinched at my words and his fists clenched in his lap. I wanted to hold him, to tell him it was okay if he was lonely, that it didn't make him weak.

_Men have such fragile egos_, I thought to myself. Maybe that was why he was so insistent on killing everyone off, so that the loneliness was self-inflicted and he felt like he had some control over his life.

"You know, I feel lonely too. All the time," I admitted, moving to sit a little closer to him, gazing where he was, watching the sun. "Ever since I was eight years old."

That got his attention. His eyes were on me again now.

"The Uchiha clan was powerful as hell, arguably the most powerful clan in all of the Land of Fire. But no one was more powerful than my older brother, Itachi. On one warm June night, Sasuke and I were out in the garden playing ninja when we heard the screaming. By the time we got back to the house, they were all dead, severed limbs and little lakes of blood all over the house. The only people who got a half noble death were my mother and father who had been stabbed through the heart." I didn't notice until that moment that I was shaking, tears beginning to pour down my face. Gaara did not move, he just listened. "We found him at the front door and he turned to us. I remember Sasuke holding me up because my body couldn't stand the pain. I wasn't bleeding but it hurt so much. In my heart, it hurt. It felt like it was me who had been stabbed. 'Foolish little siblings,' he had said. 'You cannot hope to defeat me. Run and foster your hatred for me. That is the only way to defeat me. Run... and live.' He disappeared then and I ran blindly into the village. I don't remember much after that. They say there was an explosion on the outskirts of town, that a rogue ninja set a bomb off, but the higher ups knew it was me. They shut me up in a mental hospital for months and I couldn't control the fire and the pain in my heart. It kept escaping and burning, consuming everything in its wake. I wanted everyone to burn for what had happened to my family, to my home. But Sasuke was there and we have each other. Recently though, it's like things are changing. He's so intent on revenge and I'm so intent on not letting Itachi win, on being happy, that we're walking different paths now. No, in fact, he's walking down a dark path and I'm still at the crossroads waiting to choose the way I'm going to go and I can see his figure getting smaller in the distance and fading in the mist. I'm scared."

The silence was deafening then and I was sure Gaara was going to leave. But he didn't. He cocked his head to the side a little and said, "If you keep spending time with me, I'll kill you before he gets too far away."

It was so threatening and dark that I couldn't help but laugh. "Is that your way of trying to make me feel better?" I asked, giggling.

"I couldn't care less how you feel. I care only for myself. I'm just gathering information on my next opponent," he snarled, his voice growing icy again. I thought I had been getting through to him. However, a part of me didn't believe him. He stood up then.

Just before he leapt away, I shouted, "Stay!"

He turned to me then, cocking his head again. "What?"

"Stay," I repeated firmly, looking up at him with imploring eyes. But it was no use. By the time I had blinked, he'd gone.

**Gaara's POV**

There was that feeling again, the one in my torso. I had become so used to feeling nothing there except an insatiable excitement when about to kill that the feeling of something in my torso now was uncomfortable. I couldn't pinpoint it. It felt like hate but lighter. I didn't understand it. And I hated it. I wanted to kill her.

_She'd taste so sweet, Gaara, she'd taste so good_, Mother's whispered in my head, the voice reverberating around my body like a drum beat.

As I leapt from rooftop to rooftop, I imagined Aimi, the sand wrapped around her neck. She was screaming for mercy, those tears streaming down her face like they did before, the sand snaking up her calves, then her thighs.

And then.

The image changed.

She was wrapped around me this time, her legs draped around my waist, her body pressed up against a wall of sand. She was naked, her pearly white skin luminous in the moonlight. Her breasts were free, so close to my face that if I extended my tongue, I could've licked her nipple. But the strangest thing was that I was naked too and one of her hands was buried in my hair, tugging and pulling roughly. She wasn't being gentle with me.

I thrust myself inside her body and she threw her head back in the throes of passion, moaning softly. I thrust again, pouring all my hatred into her body, pounding so hard I was sure I'd break her. I snarled and nipped at her neck, while her other hand snaked up my torso and traced my collarbone.

"Mine," I growled into her ear, driving into her a final time, only for her to let go around me, deep inside of her. She screamed my name and then the fantasy fell away.

For a few seconds, I stood on a rooftop panting. Then, a sound began emitting from my chest, a snarl that built up slowly until it was a roar.

_No. Kill. I must kill_, a voice resonated in my mind. I looked around wildly and I spotted a shinobi wandering down a side street, one I'd seen at the chunin exams, acting as squad leader for one of the teams from the Village in the Mist who had not made it past the Forest of Death. He had clearly stayed around to watch the next exam.

The gourd began to fall away, transforming into sand and I wasted no time, hurling the sand around the man's body and forcing its way down inside the man's windpipe, choking him to death.

"Sand coffin," I snarled, letting his death bring me to life. His screams in the dawn brought me peace and I carried his body in the sand to the edge of the forest surrounding the Leaf Village and buried him two hundred meters below the surface of the earth.

But as I hurried back towards the house we were renting, I couldn't escape the feeling that as good as murder made me feel, the feeling I imagined being buried to the hilt inside Aimi Uchiha to be like had made me feel just as, if not more alive than murder.

I returned to the house just as Kankuro emerged from the kitchen, his previously cheerful expression faltering as he spotted me returning.

"Where have you been, Gaara?" he asked me, trying to sound threatening. He was beginning to piss me off already and it wasn't even nine in the morning yet.

"Reminding myself I'm alive," I told him, stalking past him to get some breakfast. Temari and Baki sat at the table, eating broiled fish and nori. They exchanged a worried look as they too saw me enter.

I was pouring out myself miso soup when Temari stuttered, "You didn't... k-kill anyone, did you?"

I looked at her, waiting for her to guess and then I smirked.

"You little-!" Kankuro began and then sighed. "Gaara, we're on a_ mission_! You can't go drawing attention to us and killing everyone. This has to go perfectly to plan."

"I couldn't care less about the plan. I will do as I please and you can't stop me."

"Watch me!" he yelled, shifting his stupid puppet on his back a little.

"Will you two please calm down?" Baki begged, knowing this could be going nowhere good.

"Shut up, Kankuro... or I'll kill you," I threatened, staring at him head on, challenging him. He broke my gaze first and went to sit by Temari.

Baki waited for the tension in the room to dissipate and then launched into a detailed description of the plan to invade the Leaf Village. Momentarily, I found myself wondering if Aimi would survive this.

My body grew cold at the thought of her dying at someone else's hands.

_It will be me who kills her if anyone is going to_. I thought to myself, the image of her body returning to my mind. _Mine_.

"I get the Uchihas," I declared, interrupting Baki's detailed description of the terrain around the Leaf Village as he poured over maps.

This was one of the very few times I volunteered anything and so, everyone's eyes flickered to me.

"What?" Temari asked.

"Sasuke and Aimi Uchiha are mine. I'll kill Sasuke during my battle match and then when the invasion starts, I will be the one to kill his twin sister. No one else will touch her. Her blood is mine," I told them simply.

Temari looked shocked. "It won't come to that, will it, Baki Sensei? We were with Aimi yesterday. Gaara, we were with Aimi yesterday! You can't just kill everyone you feel like!" she exclaimed, thinking of her new "friend".

"Watch me," I said.

"You cannot kill Sasuke Uchiha anyway, Gaara," Baki said firmly.

"I can do whatever I want."

"You cannot kill Sasuke Uchiha," he repeated, "because Lord Orochimaru wants him. And when it comes down to it, he'll probably want Aimi for leverage in case Sasuke gets out of line."

"Isn't Aimi the more powerful one? She certainly looked it at the preliminaries. Why doesn't he just go after her?" Kankuro questioned.

"I'm not supposed to tell you as much as this. However, you three, especially Gaara, are essential to the plan. Sasuke's heart is a lot darker, a lot more intent on revenge than Aimi's. Aimi has no immediate wish for power and has built up much closer ties to people in the Hidden Leaf Village than Sasuke has. It simply makes more sense to take Sasuke. He's still an Uchiha and he's still immensely powerful. Lord Orochimaru is probably hoping if he takes Sasuke that Aimi will follow and eventually join him. As she's as powerful as she is, however, she'll need restraining by someone much more powerful. So, Gaara, I give you full permission to take her as your kill," Baki confirmed, nodding at me.

"But she's so nice," Temari whispered, more to herself than us.

Baki's hand suddenly slammed down on the table. "This is no time to go soft on us, Temari! This could be_ war_. We're under _orders._ As nice as she may be when you're allies, she is an_ Uchiha_! If you become her enemy, she will not hesitate to kill you and if so, the only one of you who would survive is Gaara!" he shouted aggressively, sprays of spit flying from his mouth. "Gaara is the best opponent for her anyway. His sand will automatically counteract both her lightning chakra element and her fire chakra element. He may be the only one who can incapacitate her. It makes sense for him to kill her."

Our conversation then made the rest of the day even more uncomfortable than usual. Temari and Baki were cordial at best with each other and Kankuro kept shooting me dirty looks and murmuring, "brat" and "little punk" under his breath. If I got the chance during this mission, I would happily kill him too.

Three and a half weeks passed and each night, I went through the same routine. I left the house at twenty to midnight and waited on Aimi's rooftop. She joined me at midnight, we talked a little and she fell asleep next to me. Once she'd fallen asleep, I felt the demon inside me settle; safe in the knowledge that the prey was in reach and that she was growing to trust us, to trust that I wouldn't kill her. A few days later, she came up in tears. God, it was easy to make her cry. Apparently, her sensei had decided that upon Sasuke's recovery, he would be training and living with their sensei until the exams. He was not to see her for fear of distraction and she was not to seek him out. That night, at one point during the tears, her dainty little hand reached out towards me for something. She pulled it back as soon as she had offered it once she'd realized what she'd done, giving me a slightly horrified look. That was the only time I ever saw horror in her face when she looked at me. However, the spectrum of emotions she showed me over the three weeks were completely unrestrained. She was just naturally quite happy, full of excitement for the Chunin exams now just a few days away, heartbreak from the loss of her family, sadness in the way of missing her brother, nostalgia as she described her village and all the pathetic losers in it, giggly the night she came up and she'd been out with someone called Sakura and drank far too much Coke, anger the day she found out one of the sound ninja had tripped up a child from the academy, calamity most nights as she fell to sleep. And smiling, she was always smiling. But she never once, not once ever showed me fear, something that washed over me like cool water on a hot day, refreshing and pleasant. I had been so used to being feared that while at first it irritated me that she wasn't in the least bit scared of me, I grew to respect her for it. It wasn't that she was ignorant of my power; it was that she wasn't afraid of death.

I never told her of the time I'd been to see her brother and her sensei training. I didn't tell her about the day I went to visit the boy I'd beaten in the preliminary exams to kill him in the hospital, only to be stopped by two of her friends. Some nights, we didn't tell each other anything, we just sat there, in each other's company, with only Mother's voice in my head, admiring the way her pulse pumped beneath her fair skin, the strawberry scent her hair gave off when she swung it behind her head. When she was asleep, strewn across the rooftop, I would imagine her naked again, imagined myself fusing our bodies together and holding her waist so tightly it might break in my hands, clutching her hips so tightly they cracked. I wanted to feel alive and I knew she could give me that feeling.

I didn't hurt her. Sometimes, after I'd been with her all night, I'd kill a helpless civilian in the morning to decrease the tension in my body. I was never sure why I was doing this. I told myself it was that I was savoring my prey, keeping her until the very last moment. I told myself it was because I was under orders.

I couldn't pinpoint why I kept thinking of her so sexually, why a part of me felt so good when she bent over and her cleavage was exposed to me. I concluded it was the monster inside me, burning for her, admiring the innocent things about her that made her look like an easy target like her big hazel doe eyes and her slender body.

For as long as I could remember I'd never let anyone close enough to touch me. I'd never felt sexually about a girl, not really. Once, I found Kankuro's magazines in his bottom drawer under his socks and rifled through them. They'd turned me on but I'd never felt like this. I didn't realize how evil I truly was, fantasizing about fucking a girl I was going to kill.

Two nights before the third exam, on the rooftop, I'd completely ignored her attempts to talk, so disgusted at the monster inside me. She stayed up all night that night and by dawn, she had me talking a little, describing the dunes of the Land of Wind and the frequency of sand storms.

"Hey, Gaara," she called as I stood up, preparing to leave.

I glanced at her. "What?"

She gave me an expectant smile. "Stay?"

"What for?" I asked, my gaze swinging to her, that light feeling of hate bubbling up inside of me, hating her smile and her dazzling eyes, hating her trust in me.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to think quickly and intelligently. "Errr, for training! It's the Chunin exams tomorrow, let's train."

I took one last look at her, trying to look as cold as possible, to warn her. Then, I turned my back on her and left.

I would see her tomorrow and tomorrow it would all be different.

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**Author's Note: This has been my favorite chapter to write so far. I absolutely loved it. On my breaks off writing atm, I just read Naruto seven minutes in heaven. Although Gaara is my anime husband, I have such a thing for Kiba and Shikamaru it's ridiculous. Also Liam O'Brien who voices Gaara tweeted me. He's awesome.**

**Most of all, please try your best to REVIEW. I know it can take a lot of time but just a quick note to say you liked it or maybe didn't like it and how I could improve would be amazing.**

**So yeah, REVIEW.**


	6. Chapter 6

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. If I did, Shikamaru and Temari would be maried and there would be little Shikamari babies everywhere always and forever.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

* * *

_Maybe,_

_you're gonna be the one that saves me._

_- **Oasis, Wonderwall**_

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**Aimi's POV**

I arrived at the stadium an hour earlier than the first match, Naruto against Neji, was due to start. I signed in at reception and a man with kind eyes led me out to the fighting arena. It was sprinkled with patches of grass and a sporadic amount of trees, a typical battlefield. I was the second to arrive. Shikamaru had already arrived.

"Shikamaru!" I shouted, running up and greeting him with a big hug.

"Oh, man, how troublesome. Women are such a drag," he groaned, but wrapped his arms around my waist to hug me back.

"You excited?" The anxiety was making me jittery. I was bouncing on the balls of my feet and fidgeting with my tank top.

"Is that a real question?" he asked, his voice bored.

"Yeah," I responded simply, gazing up at the stands above our heads. "Wow, so many people are early!"

"I think they're just excited as you are. Oh man, this is gonna be such a pain. And to top it off, my opponent's that mouthy sand kunoichi," he grumbled.

"Hey, girls can be_ badass,_" I contested. He raised his eyebrows at me. Just then, I remembered something. "Actually, come to think of it, that girl said she'd come train with me and she never did."

"Regardless, men should be _protecting_ women, not fighting them. I hate mouthy girls who think they're better than they are," he told me.

I forgot sometimes how much I really liked Shikamaru as a person. "I do like that philosophy of men protecting women as misogynistic as it is," I said. "Hey, Shikamaru, do you think I'm mouthy?"

He scratched the back of his head, thinking and replied, "You're mouthy but you never act like you're better than you are. In fact, most of the time, you're as gentle as Hinata unless you have to be stronger."

"You really think so?" I asked, beaming at him.

"Yeah," he affirmed. Looking behind me, he called, "Shino, hey!"

Shino Aburame arrived next. "Hey guys," he murmured softly.

"Hey, Shino! You ready?" I inquired, waving at him.

"As ready as I'll be, I guess."

"Great!" I answered, beaming at him too. I was in a great mood and I was totally ready to battle this sound ninja. Gaara hadn't come to the rooftop last night but I figured he'd be too busy training and spending time with his family, not that he would've enjoyed that, so I wouldn't hold it against him. Besides, I'd see him today. I'd see him a lot today.

I couldn't understand why his cold, mysterious personality enticed me so, but it did. And now I'd gotten to know him better and to realize that he was just a beautiful powerful boy whose trust and sense of self had been destroyed and mutilated by his own family, I wanted to know him more.

Thirty minutes later, the Sand Siblings arrived, Kankuro and Temari flanking Gaara as usual.

Gaara looked incredible. The black marks around his eyes only set to enhance his stunning emerald eyes as he took in his surroundings. His spiky red hair was blowing in the light breeze and he seemed to have acquired a slight tan, possibly from practicing during the daylight more since he usually spent his nights with me nowadays. He looked so wild as his wide eyes darted around the arena taking everything in.

He looked more alive than I'd ever seen him.

When he caught my eye, he gave away no sign that we had spent every night bar one within a few feet of each other.

_Sasuke would be furious with me_, I thought as I gave him a knowing smirk.

"Hey, Aimi," Temari greeted me with a small smile.

"Hey. How come you never came over?" I questioned her, giving her a reassuring smile back to let her know I hadn't held it against her.

"I guess I got really busy. Hopefully you'll get a chance at seeing some of my new moves first hand," she suggested, one hand on her hip, the other at her shoulder, touching her fan. If she beat Shikamaru, I would be facing her off in the next match.

"I do hope so!" I meant it too. I liked Temari.

"Where's your brother anyway, Aimi? He not here yet?" Kankuro teased, smirking and angling himself towards his little brother, who looked completely disinterested in the conversation. His eyes were flickering between Shino, Shikamaru and I.

"I have no idea. He's usually a little late. He and our sensei like to be a little theatrical. You know, the whole "fashionably late" thing," I responded, grimacing a little at the truth in my words.

Kankuro laughed heartily. "Kinda the opposite of Gaara then, right?"

"Right," I giggled, nodding fervently. Gaara caught my eye again and held my gaze this time, as if he was trying to convey something silently to me, his eyes burning me. I felt a little breathless as he stared, unwilling to relinquish his hold on me.

In that moment, I saw a figure over Gaara's shoulder enter the arena. It was my opponent, Dosu, the sound ninja. He walked with a sway and his eyes were trained on me.

_If looks could kill_, I thought sardonically. I felt a little threatened by his glowering, which was ironic considering that I'd spent so many nights subject to Gaara's dark looks.

Dosu stood a little away from us, taking in his surroundings, possibly weighing up tactics.

Suddenly the Sand Siblings stepped back quite a way from us and seemingly became involved in a deep, private conversation, dictated mostly by Temari. Gaara seemed not to be participating in it, choosing instead to cross his arms and scowl at the entire arena. As his eyes reached me, I pretended to be engrossed in a conversation with Shikamaru, just as Neji arrived.

"Look at her, dictating their conversation. Man, I hate girls like that. Why do girls have to be so overbearing? It's so troublesome," he moaned, watching Temari out of the corner of his eye. "And I have to battle her."

"Hey! I'm not overbearing. Besides, you're the lazy genius, Shikamaru. If you put your mind to it, you can beat her easily, I swear," I promised him. He gave me a half-hearted smile and we moved on to discussing the game of shogi he and Kiba had played yesterday.

"I destroyed him," he bragged, more to me than Shino, since he seemed to have lost interested in us too.

"I'm not surprised. Kiba doesn't think with his head_ ever_."

Just then, the proctor appeared and began introducing the third exam just as-

"HEY, WAIT UP, I'M HERE! BELIEVE IT!"

Multiple sighs could be heard as Naruto came to a stop beside me.

"You're late," the proctor told him with a disapproving look.

"I know, I'm sorry. I guess I got caught up with stuff!" he apologized, chuckling.

The proctor continued explaining, and at that moment, I noticed my brother still hadn't arrived.

_Sasuke_, I thought, praying he would turn up. _Don't let Gaara win this one_. _We have to show this village what the Uchiha clan is made of. I want to watch you shine._

Naruto and Neji's match was called into fruition and the rest of us were ordered up to the participants' viewing area, overlooking the arena. Kankuro, Temari and Gaara gathered in the right hand side of the box, with Shikamaru, Shino and I on the left. Dosu remained a little way back. I made sure to position myself towards the middle of the box to be closest to Gaara, who did not acknowledge me. He was watching the match intently, leaning on the railing, the muscles in his bicep clearly visible to me.

I did my best not to stare and focused on the match. I watched as Naruto gave a great effort but could not get through Neji's chakra rotations. I saw Gaara clench up a little as he watched someone with nearly as an impenetrable defense as he, battle so effectively.

I could tell he was finding Neji a threat to his existence. I did not need to be able to read minds to imagine the images of Neji's murder by sand running through Gaara's mind.

At that point, Neji attacked Naruto with his eight trigrams move and blocked all of Naruto's chakra points, flattening him.

"Is he... okay?" Shikamaru whispered.

"Naruto!" I yelled, leaning over the bar towards him, feeling everyone's eyes on me. "Naruto, don't give up! Don't listen to this sucker! Follow your dream! Get up and don't let him beat you!"

Finally, he rose, albeit gently. Neji proceeded to tell the story of the discontent within the Hyuga household and when he had finished and began underestimating Naruto, Naruto fought back. Something within he began to burn a new kind of chakra, something that was scaring even _Neji_. It began to burn around him like a flame. Neji began his chakra rotation and Naruto launched an attack. Suddenly an explosion rocked the arena and both of them were thrown down into the earth, creating deep pits in the battle arena.

Neji pulled himself out first, fatigue evident in his slow gait and bruised body.

It happened as Neji went over to badmouth Naruto for the final time, once again underestimating my friend.

A fist broke through the surface of the ground, followed by an arm, a body and finally, it made contact with Neji Hyuga's chin, sending him flying, ending the match.

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki."

"WAY TO GO, NARUTO!" I yelled down to him. "You showed him about this destiny crap!" He just kept getting stronger.

Even Shikamaru joined in the clapping. "Naruto defeated Neji? Oh man, I can't believe it. And I thought Naruto was the same as me, one of the dorky uncool guys."

Shino turned his head slightly to him "Dorky and uncool?"

"And now everyone's saying he's gonna make something big of himself. Just great. I doubt I could beat him now. I've never felt so depressed. What a drag."

I ignored him and kept cheering. "_That's my team mate_! That's my team mate! Naruto, you were incredible!"

You know what the problem is though, right, Aimi?" Shikamaru asked me.

"What?"

"Sasuke isn't here yet and he's up next."

I froze. He was right. If he didn't turn up, he'd be disqualified. My eyes flickered to Gaara who was still in the same position he'd remained in for all of Neji's fight. The crowd began getting angry, waiting for the next match to begin.

Naruto came running up the stairs and arrived in the viewing box just as Shikamaru remarked, "that Sasuke. What in the world does he think he's doing? Forfeiting?"

"A wise man never quits danger, leading to a wise decision," Shino replied, in an emotionless tone.

"Huh? What're you talking about? He's definitely gonna be here, believe it!" Naruto told them both just as I noticed him catch Gaara's eye and scowl at him.

"He will definitely be here," I said calmly, closing my eyes and picturing wherever my twin brother was right now, probably getting some last minute practice in. "He's kept himself away from people for a whole month to train. I haven't seen him for an entire month _just _so he could train his ass off. He wouldn't do that unless he wasn't prepared to win and I know my brother. He's not a quitter and he's not scared of _anyone._"

"Damn right he's not!" Naruto agreed, still scowling at Gaara. Temari and Kankuro began muttering amongst themselves while Gaara stared up at the azure skies, lost in his thoughts.

The proctor announced that we would be moving on to the next match, since "one of the competitors hadn't arrived yet".

"Hey! That means my battle's one match closer now! What a drag!" Shikamaru exclaimed. I, however, began bouncing on the balls on my feet again in excitement. This meant if Sasuke still hadn't turned up by Shikamaru's battle, I could go before him and lay the groundwork for showing this crowd (and showing Gaara) just how dangerously powerful the Uchiha family were.

"So, let's proceed to the next match. Shino and Kankuro, come down." Suddenly, Kankuro raised his hand.

"Proctor, I withdraw!"

There were audible gasps from all around the stadium, including from me upon this news.

Temari, however, unleashed her fan and leapt upon it, using it to carry it down to the battlefield.

"It's my turn, right?" she asked the proctor. He nodded.

"Hey! You up there! Come down. Your match is next," the proctor called up to us.

"Aww, come on. What're you doing moving these matches up like this? Why does it have to be my stupid match that gets pushed up. Oh man, this is such a drag!" he complained, visibly freaked out.

"Shikamaru Nara, come on!"

He didn't have time to back out like Kankuro however as before he had time to react, Naruto had pushed him right out of the participants' viewing box and onto the battlefield.

The audience, clearly irritated that their chance to see Sasuke Uchiha fight had been postponed, began throwing things at him. Shikamaru just lay there.

"C'mon, c'mon! Get it together, Shikamaru! You gonna get going sometime this year?!" Naruto shouted.

"He's ridiculous," I commented, grinning. "I can't figure out whether he has nerves of steel or he's just _that_ lazy."

At that moment, Temari charged at him, yelling, "if you won't move, I will!"

"I forgot, this girl's a spunky one. I hate spunky."

I was bent double laughing. "Oh God, oh my god. This is going to be such a good match!" I exclaimed, tears coming to my eyes from laughing so hard.

"It really doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me whether or not I become a Chunin, but I guess I shouldn't let myself get beaten by a female," we could hear him saying.

"Sexist pig," I muttered under my breath, still giggling. At that moment, I felt Gaara's eyes slide to my face for a fraction of a second before returning to watch his sister.

Temari began her attacks, Shikamaru dodging them easily. He had taken refuge behind a large tree in the shadow of the arena wall and began staring up at the clouds, with an envious look on his face while Temari commanded the arena.

"Naruto, what the hell is he doing?" I asked, a little puzzled.

"Get your butt in gear! Let's _go_, Shikamaru!" Naruto called. "He's being a lazy butthead, that's what."

They both attempted their jutsus, with Temari vocally strategically breaking down Shikamaru's jutsu and measuring his range.

The match continued with Shikamaru's logic finally coming into play as he bided time to allow the wall's shadow to grow longer, created a parachute with his jacket to create more shadow and finally, used the hole in which Naruto floored Neji to catch Temari in his shadow. When it came to it however, he gave up, claiming he was almost out of chakra.

The whole stadium, having previously been captivated by him, descended back into disarray at his laziness.

Naruto was so furious, it was a little alarming. "What the heck was that, forfeiting the match when he had it won?! Jeez! Man, that makes me ticked off. Of all the lazy-! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" He leapt off the bar in the participants' box to go and talk some sense into him.

"What the heck was that, idiot?!"

"Who you calling idiot, idiot?" Shikamaru responded.

"Why'd you give up?! Are you really that lazy or are you just a big chicken?!"

"Hey, it's over. Let's just forget it, okay?"

"Are you kidding? NO! It's not okay! You had that match won! Why did-"

"Would you skip it? Aren't you forgetting... there's another two matches," Shikamaru interrupted.

The proctor came forward then to address the crowd. "Since Sasuke Uchiha still hasn't arrived, we are forced to move onto the next match. Aimi Uchiha, Dosu Kinuta, come down."

I turned to wish my opponent good luck- he'd need it, only to find he'd already gone down.

"Good luck, Aimi," Shino wished me.

"Thanks, Shino," I replied. I climbed onto the bar and jumped down onto the battlefield, pointedly not looking at Gaara as I descended.

As I hit the ground, I walked towards the center of the field where Shikamaru and Naruto were still squabbling like old ladies. Dosu came out from the stairway and joined me in the center, facing off against me.

_The trick is to act before he does, _I thought. Shikamaru's match had certainly inspired to act quickly and I took in my surroundings carefully, noticing the spot where Naruto had burrowed under the ground during his battle with Neji and where Shikamaru had sent his shadow.

Shikamaru and Naruto went to stand in the entrance to the stairs, safe from any stray attacks and the proctor called begin.

I moved fast, faster than I felt I had before, made a quick hand sign and yelled, "Lightning Style: Electric Feel!" feeding the power underground down one of the holes created by Naruto and Neji's battle. Dosu hadn't noticed and merely leapt further away, closer to the hole, expecting an overground attack.

He was completely unaware the moment the lightning caught his sound transmitter in its bolt, shocking it relentlessly, shocking him arm ruthlessly. He screamed in pain and his transmitter disintegrated and fell away from his hand.

"Aren't you forgetting something Dosu? Haven't you ever been in a storm? Don't you know the lightning comes before the thunder?" I chided, a smug grin on my face. He gasped as he realized without it, that he was totally powerless.

"I didn't even have to use my Sharingan. But, I guess I'll need it now," I told him, reverting my eyes to my Sharingan. I could hear the crowd screaming their praise and excitement as they caught a glimpse of the Leaf Village's most famous kekkei genkai.

Dosu was cowering on the floor frozen.

"I don't know what you did to my brother in that forest, but I can assure you that I will avenge him. After all, that's what the Uchiha family is about."

_For you, Sasuke_, I thought. I would have to use _that _technique to end this quickly- before he could use other weapons, something I was sure he had- the one Itachi taught me when I was five.

I could remember him telling me to only use it in life-threatening circumstances. He had told me that it would drain every ounce of chakra I had, but I was guaranteed a win.

I had not realized it before but as I felt the crowd's eyes on me, I realized how much I wanted to prove my clan, to let them know after all their sympathetic smiles and whispers behind their hands that we meant business, that Sasuke and I were direct descendants of Madara Uchiha. I was always a bit of a showman, I guess.

I paused a little theatrically, made a hand sign, raised my hands to the heavens and called upon my ancestors. "_MADARA'S FURY!"_ I roared.

Suddenly, my hands began emitting fire, slowly at first and then increasing exponentially. The Uchiha family emblem formed in amongst the fire and rose into the skies, branding itself above the stadium, burning furiously.

The wind picked up then and clouds began pouring over the stadium. Lightning began breaking through the emblem and the fire floated above us for a moment before dropping slowly. The lightning bolts grew bigger, collecting together. Then the fire came together fusing itself with the lightning, compacting itself in an immense ball that made up half the battlefield, consisting of lightning, fire and my clan's power. It hit the ground right over Dosu Kinuta's cowering form and I didn't need to be a medical nin to know he died instantly. The ground underneath the ball crumbled into a deep crater and I used the last of my chakra to diminish the fireball, using it to throw the fireball into the air, where it exploded miles above the stadium creating the Uchiha emblem again on the heavens.

I fell to my knees, panting, my body completely spent. For a moment, there was silence. Then the stadium filled with the sound of cheering.

"Did you see that Uchiha girl?! She might even be better than Sasuke!"

"That was incredible!"

"That guy never stood a chance."

"And the winner is, Aimi Uchiha."

Naruto and Shikamaru ran over at that point, lifting me onto my feet.

"Aimi, that was amazing! Not even Sasuke could've done that!" Naruto praised, grinning at me.

"How did you do that? This is what I mean about you not thinking you're better than you are. Hell, you act like you're not that good and then you go and blow us all away like that!" Shikamaru said, sounding almost excited as I panted heavily.

"No more chakra," I whispered. "Shouldn't have been... so... reckless. I guess I was showing off a bit."

"Hey, if I was as powerful as you, I'd show off at events like this all the time," Shikamaru countered.

Just then, several medical nin ran over with a stretcher, asking me to come with them.

"I don't think so," I panted. "My brother's next and I wouldn't miss that for the world. Besides, I'm just tired and I have no chakra, I'm not injured."

"Fine," one of them conceded. "Just take it easy, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "Naruto, Shikamaru, is Sasuke here yet?"

"Not yet. He's been given a ten minute reprieve to show up. If he doesn't he's disqualified."

_Sasuke,_ I thought.

"Man, if he doesn't show, this crowd'll tear him apart," Naruto commented aggressively, his fists clenched. "And if they don't, I will!"

"He'll turn up," I promised. I knew my brother better than anyone else alive. He would come.

Ten minutes passed.

"What's he thinking? I bet he's planning some big entrance or something. Well, _I'm _not gonna be impressed," Naruto ranted, pacing back and forth as I leaned on Shikamaru. I looked up towards the participants' box and saw Gaara in the shadows staring down at me. He was talking to someone but staring at me. We both knew that this battle between my brother and him was something more than a battle between both our nations to us.

"Alright, the time limit has expired. So I'm officially calling this match-" the proctor began.

Just then, I saw a leaf descend to the ground. I knew my brother.

"_WAIT_!" I interrupted, just as a vortex appeared on the battlefield, leaves spinning violently.

Sasuke and Kakashi stood back to back. They had arrived. Sasuke's hair looked a little longer and his usually blue top had been replaced by a black jumpsuit. He looked less lanky now; his muscles having filled out a little. He _had _been training hard.

"Sorry, we're late," Kakashi apologized. "You wouldn't believe the traffic."

"And you are?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke told him.

"Damn right he is!" I exclaimed, rushing over and letting him sweep me up into a hug. "Sasuke, I missed you!" He held me tight, squeezing me a little too hard.

"Missed you too, Aimi," he muttered quietly so only Kakashi and I could hear him.

"So you decided to show up after all? I was betting you wouldn't come because sooner or later you'd have to face _me_!" Naruto bragged. He failed to mention he'd just been saying how he was sure he'd turn up.

"So what about you? Did you win?" Sasuke asked Naruto, letting go of me and turning to his rival.

"You know it!"

"Huh. Well don't get too full of yourself. You're still a loser," Sasuke told him, the shadows of affection and friendship on his face evident only to me.

"Sorry if we kept you waiting but how late are we? It's not like Sasuke's, well, disqualified or anything... right?" Kakashi stuttered.

"Like master, like pupil. You know you were so late that we extended the deadline for you _twice _and it's lucky for you we did because you just made it," the proctor said begrudgingly.

"Oh, that's a relief!" Kakashi sighed. "You had me worried there for a minute."

I turned to ask Sasuke where he'd been but found he was scowling up at Gaara who was glaring back just as much.

"Sasuke, you have to beat him," I told him.

"Yeah, just make sure you don't lose to this guy," Naruto agreed fervently.

"Got it." Sasuke was as confident as ever. I'd miss that self-assurance he had. He could do it.

"Hey Sasuke! Don't lose! Because I wanna fight you myself!" Naruto instructed, his eyes wild with anticipation.

"Be you, Sasuke. You can do this. He's a pussycat, really," I advised him.

"Really?"

"Er, well... not really," I admitted. "But he's not a match for you."

_He's no match for either of us, _I told myself, feeling very guilty that I'd forgotten where my loyalties lay since Sasuke had been away and I'd spent so much time with Gaara.

"C'mon, Naruto, Aimi, they don't need us here. Let's go. And up the stairs this time if you don't mind," Shikamaru said, calling us both to leave.

"C'mon, are you still upset that I gave you a little push? You ought to be grateful!" Naruto grumbled walking away.

"Sasuke, please beat this guy. I need you to defeat him. You can do this. You're my brother and you're not scared of anything at all. The key is to be fearless and to trust in your abilities. I trust you," I encouraged, kissing him on the cheek.

He smiled at me. "I'll beat him, don't you worry. Hey, did you win your match?"

"You bet I did! Used up all my chakra in the process though."

"Good girl."

"Aimi, come on!" Shikamaru called. I went to join them heading for the stairs. Naruto sped away of Shikamaru and I; Shikamaru just being lazy and me, exhausted.

"Would you hurry up? Come on!" Naruto yelled down to us.

"Naruto, calm down. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer," Shikamaru said.

"Huh?" Naruto said as he looked down the corridor leading up to the next staircase.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked him nonchalantly.

I reached them and looked the direction they were staring at. Gaara was walking down the corridor towards us, where two men stood either side in the middle of the corridor, blocking his path. An ambush.

One of the men spat at Gaara some bile about how the tournament was really about the people who bet on us, or against us in Gaara's case.

"That means, you gotta lose," the other man told him in a threatening tone.

Silence filled the room, except for the squeaking of the cork in Gaara's gourd.

"Well? So what's it gonna be, kid?"

"Maybe he's too scared to talk."

Gaara's eyes were shut but I knew that look. I'd seen it when he battled Lee and the first night he'd come to see me on the rooftop. These men were going to die. And I wasn't sure I wanted to watch.

His eyes flew open just as one of the men pulled out a kunai and Gaara's sand exploded from the gourd. Gaara's breathing was heaving and rasping as he pulled the bodies of the two men into his sand and dragged them towards him, one of them screaming as begging as the sand swallowed him whole, crushing him.

Silence.

Then slow footsteps.

Shikamaru, Naruto and I stood frozen. I wasn't sure how to react. I'd never seen Gaara kill before. I knew the other two were scared he was going to kill them too, but I knew he was far too focused on killing my brother. The only person I had left in this world. I began to shake violently, my body unable to withstand my brain's thoughts and emotions as I thought about Gaara dead, Sasuke dead, the truth in Gaara's evil.

His footsteps continued echoing and he began to take slow footsteps down the stairs behind us.

_Would he really kill me_? I thought. _After everything we've been through_? _Was it really anything_? _Is he not human enough to feel anything anymore?_ _Is it really about killing for him?_

This final thought was blooming in my mind, just as he passed in between Shikamaru and I. His eyes slid to mine for one tiny moment, his expression unreadable and I wanted to touch him again, to talk to him and beg him not to kill Sasuke or to let himself be killed, to beg him to learn to love instead, to love me. But he was gone.

Shikamaru and Naruto sat, panting heavily, sighing in relief as soon as he was out of view.

"If we'd have come up the stairs even a second earlier, that could've been _us_ just now," Shikamaru uttered. Was he right? Would Gaara kill us, kill _me _as nonchalantly as he had killed those two men? "I've never in my life seen anyone kill like that without even batting an eye. Things don't look so good for Sasuke at all."

We sat for minutes, trying to gather our thoughts, to understand what was happening. I tried to consider who was stronger, Gaara or Sasuke. Could I lose either of them today? Did I _care _if I lost Gaara after seeing him kill like that? Naruto too was also seemingly lost in thought.

Suddenly he got to his feet and said fiercely, "Shikamaru, Aimi, we have to go and talk to Kakashi Sensei right now."

"What're you planning to do?" Shikamaru asked as Naruto ran off. We followed him, right up to the stands where we knew Sakura, Ino and Choji had seats.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto yelled as we reached the top of the stairs entering the stands. "Sensei, please! You just have to stop this match right away!"

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"The guy Sasuke is fighting is completely different than the rest of us. He's about as far from normal as you can get!" he yelled, stumbling over his words in his rush to get them out.

"Naruto! Slow down! What're you trying to say?" asked Ino, sounding irritated.

"He thinks his point in life is to kill people. Don't you see? If this continues, Sasuke will die!"

The reality hit me then as I looked down to the battlefield below and saw a sphere of sand and Sasuke stood fifteen feet away.

Yes. I was right. Naruto was right. I _could_ lose someone in this match. And it would probably be Sasuke.

"You've gotta believe me!" Naruto cried. I looked at him, seeing the determination in his face. For the first time around Gaara, I began to feel afraid of his power if he would take the only family I had from me.

"Relax, Naruto. There's a reason we were so late getting here," Kakashi told him, calmly.

An eye of sand appeared over the sphere of sand and Sasuke began hurling kunai at the sand sphere, attempting to get close enough to attack.

"Keep your eye on Sasuke. He's about to surprise you," Kakashi instructed as my brother leapt onto the arena wall and clasped his hands together. Suddenly, Sasuke created what looked like a ball of lightning in his very hands, growling with the effort as the bolts flickered around him.

"C'mon, Sasuke!" I shouted as he ran down the arena wall, full pelt, headed for Gaara.

"Woah! I've never seen him do that before!" Naruto remarked.

"What sort of technique is it?" Sakura asked.

"It's a jab," Gai answered.

"A what?"

"But this jab is a jab like no other. It's the only weapon in Kakashi's arsenal he didn't copy from someone else. It's the weapon of choice for assassinations," Guy commentated as Sasuke hurled across the arena towards the sand sphere. "The secret of the jab is within the speed of which it is delivered and the ninja's ability to focus his chakra at the point of impact. Once these two elements, speed and focus, have attained a certain level, the chakra actually becomes visible and gives off the distinctive sound you hear; like birds chirping." Sasuke was almost there now. "It's this sound that gives it its name. Chidori- one thousand birds."

Sasuke's ball of energy penetrated deep inside the sand shield. Then there was a heavy silence that fell over the arena as everyone waited.

Sasuke's arm remained inside the sand sphere as we all waited for the consequences of his actions.

Then, it sounded. A scream. In Gaara's voice.

_"AHHHHHHHH! BLOOD! IT'S MY BLOOD!"_

"SASUKE, GET YOUR ARM OUT OF THAT THING!" I screamed down to him. He did as he heard and began attempting desperately to get it out but no avail. He lit his Chidori once again, shocking Gaara and causing him to scream again and dragging his arm out. However, it was followed by another arm. A demonic arm, a truly sickening sight, it lengthened as it followed Sasuke away from the shell, sporadically horned and tan with purple veins.

"What the hell is that?!" I asked, sounding slightly hysterical.

The shell began to falter and crack to reveal Gaara clutching at his shoulder, where he was bleeding profusely and rasping his breath.

All of a sudden, the world became fuzzy and light and in the distance, I could hear Gai. "Kakashi, do you feel it?"

"Yeah, genjutsu."

_Genjutsu_, I thought. _Huh, and I just thought I was_... _sleepy._

"Release," they shouted together and I copied them, the sleepy feeling disappearing.

Down on the battlefield, Kankuro and Temari and their sensei had joined Gaara, with the proctor standing in front of my brother. Their sensei addressed them and they picked Gaara up, leaping out of the arena and out of sight. A few minutes later, Sasuke followed.

"Sasuke!" I shouted, running past the senseis too fast for anyone to realize what I was doing.

"Aimi, no!" Kakashi ordered, but it was too late. I had leaped over the barrier, down into the battlefield, sped across the arena, up over the arena wall and I too was out of sight.

As I landed into the forest, I realized I had no idea where I was headed and the trees were alive with the sounds of foreign shinobi descending on our village. I would just have to hope they all went in a straight line and go slowly in order to avoid detection.

Minutes passed as I ran stealthily through the forest and I began to worry that I was going the wrong way, and that I was too late. In this knowledge, I began hurling my body over the tree trunks, through the forest in order to catch up. It was so hard, I was still so out of chakra, I would probably only have one shot to save my brother.

Suddenly, I heard the sounds of battle and I came upon a clearing, only a clearing because trees had been felled.

"Why do you hide, Sasuke Uchiha? Do I frighten you?!" an inhuman voice that sounded very much like Gaara's growled. As the scene came into view, I noticed a creature, half Gaara, half monster. The monster side had taken over his arm and half his face, destroying his beautiful features. The face was as that monstrous arm had been, that had followed my brother out of the shell. "_Are you shocked by my true form_?!"

I went for the kill, hurling my body into his view, shuriken in hand and yelled, "_I certainly am!_" I threw the shuriken at the monster arm and landed on an opposite branch.

Sasuke was clearly in hiding, hiding behind one of these trees probably. I looked around wildly for him, unable to see him just as the shuriken in the monster arm was absorbed by Gaara and thrown back at me. I dodged them easily and faced off against him.

The Gaara creature began to laugh mockingly. "Didn't I tell you a time would come when I would _kill _you, Aimi Uchiha?" he roared. "Didn't I warn you?"

"I never agreed that you could do it, did I?" I retorted arrogantly, crossing my eyes.

"You are my PREY!" he shouted as that arm went at me.

_Only got one shot. _I thought, leaping up on the arm and sprinting down towards Gaara as fast as my body would carry me, kunai in hand. _One shot. No chakra. Come on._.

I landed in front of the half Gaara, half creature, the point of my kunai only half an inch from his heart.

I had about one second before that arm caught up to me and I knew it.

I looked into Gaara's left eye for a moment and the color I'd grown so used to caught me and captivated me like it always had for just a moment long enough to cause me to hesitate, to see the boy who had dragged me through this last month, who had been a reason for my happiness.

It was long enough for the arm to capture me and throw me to the ground.

And then, everything went black.

I awoke to Sasuke shaking me.

"Aimi! Aims! Wake up! Come on!" he was yelling.

I awoke groggily.

"Sasuke! You're alive!" I cried. "What happened?"

"Quick, we've gotta get to Naruto, he's battling Gaara now."

"WHAT?!"

"Come on," he called, running a little way further out into the forest.

The sight before me was extraordinary; Naruto was flat on out his front, crawling towards Gaara who lay horizontally, unmoving, watching him.

I went to land in front of Naruto with Sasuke who said to him, "Naruto. That's enough. Look, Sakura's gonna be alright. The sand crumbled away she's free. And Aimi's conscious, she's fine. This guy's chakra is all used up."

"Oh, that's a relief," Naruto sighed.

Gaara's eyes rested on me then. His eyes were soft, tired but much warmer. There was blood pouring down his face from his forehead.

"Gaara," I whispered and crawled towards him, wanting to take care of his wounds. The head wound could be extremely dangerous.

Before I could get too close however, Kankuro and Temari leapt down in front of him, partially blocking him from my view. They gave me menacing looks and I took on a defensive posture, ready to protect Sasuke, Naruto and myself, regardless of my sheer exhaustion.

"That's enough. It's over," Gaara said, sounding completely drained.

"But, Gaara-" Kankuro argued.

"No. Not her," he growled, his voice weak yet assertive. Was he defending me?

"Alright, Gaara. Let's go," Kankuro murmured, lifting him to a standing position with Temari. Gaara gave me a long last look.

"Gaara, wait!" I called, standing too. I clenched my fists, trying desperately to hold back the tears. "Stay."

"What?" Kankuro and Sasuke said together, sounding repulsed.

"Stay," I said to Gaara firmly, watching his eyes, so much warmer than I'd ever seen them.

Before I knew it, however, Kankuro and Temari gave each other a look and then they, and their beautiful, messed up brother were gone too.

* * *

**Author's Note: What's going to happen now, do you think? How will Aimi and Gaara get together again? How do you think he feels about her?  
**

**Okay, I have an apology to make. I know this was basically the anime episodes from the Chunin exams but it was very important to character development and I made it super long. I hope it wasn't boring. To make up for it, I promise to post by this time tomorrow :)**

**Please REVIE_W_ your sexy little asses off. **

**Also, thanks for reading.  
**

**I'm gonna go and look at pictures of Kiba shirtless and read more Naruto seven minutes in heaven. I really am considering making my own.**

**Also, if there are any major grammar or spelling mistakes that are blaringly obvious that annoyed you, PM me, come to my rescue and be my Beta? I'm doing it all myself right now.**

**Thanks if you read this. See you all tomorrow.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. If I did, there would be way more Gaara.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

* * *

_Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back,_

_struck from a great height _

_by someone who should know better than that._

_- **Florence and the Machine, Dog Days are Over**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

The village was in disarray for the next few weeks and understandably so. The loss of the Third Hokage reverberated around the village like the aftershocks of an atomic bomb. It took weeks for the civilians and shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village to regain their usual everyday routine and even then the sadness and pain of the invasion of our village ran rife among everybody. Shikamaru and I were the only two genin from the exams to be promoted to chunin, the others were to remain as genin.

Sasuke found out about my relations with Gaara the same day I had found out about Orochimaru's cursed seal, the morning of the Third Hokage's funeral.

"You could have been killed! Didn't you realize how little you meant to him?! You were just his victim! He played you!"

"How could you not have told me about that curse mark?! Since when did we keep secrets from each other, Sasuke? Don't you realize what it means?!"

Neither of us truly knew what it meant, in fact. It would take a while for us to build our trust back up after keeping so many secrets - I argued that I'd seen Gaara so much because I had been so lonely and that inadvertently Sasuke had pushed me towards the sand ninja. Sasuke argued that he stayed away from me in order to get stronger, to take down Gaara but maybe he shouldn't have bothered if his sister was with him every night.

"_What did he do to you?!_ Did he touch you?! If he touched you, I _swear _I'll go to the Hidden Sand Village TODAY and tear that little bastard limb from limb."

"No, he never touched me. He was always very respectful."

"Until he wasn't. He's too evil to care about stuff like that."

Sasuke had eventually admitted that once Gaara had knocked me out, he seemed like he was going to go in for the kill and then stopped at the last minute turning on Sasuke. Sasuke claimed it was just because he'd tried purposely to divert his attention but I wondered inwardly if there was more to it.

I was probably just being some stupid lovestruck infatuated teenager when it came down it.

The Third Hokage's funeral was the low point. The argument that morning had been so terrible that we didn't speak after that or throughout the entire funeral. The rain came down in droves that day and I found myself crying inconsolably on Shikamaru's shoulder, for the loss of such a great man, for the loss of so many great shinobi in this battle. For once, he didn't call me troublesome or say I was a drag. People began muttering behind us about the shinobi way of never showing your feelings but Shikamaru just held me tightly.

"You've always been quick to cry, Aimi," Shikamaru whispered, wiping a tear away.

When it was over, I felt myself being passed from one set of strong arms to another.

"Look after her, okay?" I heard Shikamaru order. "She's special."

"I've been doing it since the day we were born of our mother's womb. I will fight for her, take care of her and I would die for her. She is my sister. I know she's special. I don't need telling from someone like you."

Sasuke carried me home then and held me until the crying had subsided a little. But later, as night fell, the tears became uncontrollable again and I went up onto the roof once Sasuke had fallen asleep, mourning the loss of the heart of our village, mourning the loss of my Gaara.

_My Gaara, _I thought despite myself.

One morning, only a few days after the Hokage's funeral, I received a message from Kakashi to go the jonin council room immediately in the Hokage's building, now no longer inhabited.

I dressed hurriedly and drank a cup of tea so quickly that it scalded my mouth.

"Do you know what it's about anyway?" Sasuke asked, fastening bandages around his left arm, a little offended about being left out.

"I have no idea but apparently the ANBU black ops are going to be there. Aww, sad you're not going, bro?" I teased, taking a final gulp of the tea.

"No!" he insisted. "Okay, yes. I guess it gives me more time to practice though and train up."

"You're probably right," I agreed, giving him a final hug. Giving his curse mark a final glance, I said, "take care of yourself, Sasuke."

"You too."

I left with a drawstring bag full of kunai, shuriken and spare clothes slung over my bag and headed for the Hokage building. It seemed almost eerie without the old man upstairs. As I entered the jonin council room, I was greeted by the sight of several shinobi situated around a large wooden table. Three ANBU black ops stood in the entrance and I went to join them.

"Now, we're all gathered, I can begin explaining your mission to you then," Ibiki, the proctor from our first exam in the Chunin exams told us. "You four will be going on a very serious A rank mission."

"What is it?" I interrupted, buzzing with anticipation, ready to get going.

"It's to the Village Hidden in the Sand."

"What?!" I shouted, excitement and nerves hitting me all at once.

"We're sending you to the Village Hidden in the Sand to aid the creation of a new treaty and to fix diplomatic relations. They've just found out their Kazekage was murdered by Orochimaru long before the Chunin Exams and was being impersonated by Orochimaru himself. Therefore, the entire shinobi force of the Sand village was under the control and the orders of Orochimaru. There are several jonin, ANBU members and a couple of the council elders already out there to repair the relationship between the Village Hidden in the Sand and the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

He turned to me then and I had to steel my nerves to withstand the pressure of his gaze. "Aimi, your job will be to repair the relationship between the lower level ninja of both villages, particularly the former Kazekage's children."

_That's Gaara, Temari and Kankuro_, I thought, unable to believe my luck.

"But why? I don't know them well," I lied. "What purpose does this serve?"

Ibiki chuckled. "All those nights atop a roof during the Chunin exams with the Kazekage's youngest son, the apple of the Sand's eye, and you don't think anybody noticed you together all that time?"

I had nothing to say. I had no idea we'd been seen. I thought it was just Gaara and I who knew about those nights.

"Sorry, I just didn't think it meant anything to him, I didn't think it was important," I admitted, feeling saddened in the truth of my words.

"It's obviously important enough to him. He already asked the Sand elders to see you specifically in order to repair the damage done between the shinobi of our village," Ibiki told me, smiling as he watched the realization of this hit me, my mouth hung open in shock. "Besides, they were the three ninja ordered to infiltrate our village. In order to eradicate the discord between our villages, the best way is to fix the relationship between the people directly involved in a battle; the one's harboring the most acute pain. On top of that, as the Kazekage's children, for them to meet with an ambassador of the Leaf who is also one of the only remaining members of the most renowned clan in our village will be a great asset to us, to diplomatic relations and to civilian opinion."

"You're serious? We're really going to the Village Hidden in the Sand?" I asked brightly.

Ibiki nodded. "You'll be leaving immediately."

Thirty minutes later and three ANBU black ops and I had just left the front gates of the Leaf Village. We were already tearing through the forest, ready for the three day journey to the Village Hidden in the Sand.

The ANBU members were pretty quiet, unable to give away their true names but they asked me to call them T, D and S. I got to know them well over the next few days of sleeping by a river, racing over savannah and tearing over sand dunes. All of them passed comment on my excellent job in the Chunin exams, with D calling it "the most one sided match he'd ever seen". They told me how excited they were to go to the Land of Wind to watch the "sand scum" grovel for what they did to our village.

"Will I be staying with you guys?" I asked them on the last day as we jogged over the sand. I for one was happy with this relatively slow pace. I was feeling extremely nervous at the prospect of seeing Gaara and his family. My memory kept replaying the last time I'd seen him, blood running down his forehead, but those eyes made me feel like I was under scrutiny, his red hair dancing in the wind like flames.

"Unfortunately, no. You'll be staying with the former Kazekage's children. Our mission is to rekindle the relationship between our two villages, so we'll all be staying with jonin from the Sand village separately to show our trust in them. We're hoping for a full surrender, a firm alliance and possibly reparations," explained D.

I felt a rush at spending the night in Gaara's home. How would it feel being so close to him, in his own environment? Had he changed? What would it be like when he could not evade me, when we would have to spend all day with me, as we repaired our villages' relationship?

"Hey, D. How long will we be out here for?" I inquired, wondering how long I would have with them.

"We'll be out here at least a month."

"A month?! What about my clothes?" I asked, as we jogged. I knew I'd only packed enough clothes for a week.

"Yes. Trust takes a long time to build up and a treaty takes a long time to be agreed. As for your clothes, they were bought specifically for this mission and sent ahead the day before we left with another ninja squad. They knew you'd be sent out here. We have your measurements on record. There's even a ball gown in there, I'm told."

"A ball gown?"

"Yes. There will be a ball tonight to welcome us and the rest of the Leaf Village shinobi that have arrived to their village," D told me.

"Groveling more like. They know they're on the back foot," T grumbled. "They're probably just as nervous about your arrival, Aimi, than we are about getting there."

"Me? Why?"

"Because a few of them will have seen and most of them will have heard about your escapades during the Chunin exams and how you wiped the floor with your opponents," S expanded, adjusting his mask a little. "It's just up ahead now."

Rising out of the sand was a colossal half dome, clearly made of sand. It grew larger and larger as we got closer until it was easily the size of the perimeter of the Hidden Leaf Village. As we neared, I could see several figures waiting just slightly in front of a slit in the dome that was clearly the entrance.

We slowed to a walking pace as we got to within fifty meters of them.

I could see several unknown shinobi and then, I saw them. They were in the exact same formation as ever, Kankuro wearing a full one piece black outfit with the same purple face paint, just in a different style. Temari wore a long sleeved purple blouse kimono underneath a gray top, teamed with a dark blue skirt, and a longer sash arranged in a bow.

Gaara, however, looked devastatingly beautiful.

He had changed from his usual black short sleeved tunic to a maroon colored long sleeved one, with an upright collar, retaining the white cloth that secured his gourd onto his back. He also had mesh armour on his wrists and ankles now. Aside from that, the only difference I could see in him was that his eyes were much more kind. They burned softly now, like a warm fire on a winter's night rather than the out of control murderous blaze that took your house and all your worldly possessions with it.

I hadn't realized I'd been staring at him until Temari spoke, stuttering a little. "W-welcome, shinobi of the Leaf Village, Aimi."

I wondered how I looked to them. I had adorned little black shorts, fishnets and a strapless black crop top vest. My hair was blowing in the breeze and I vaguely wondered if they thought I was intimidating.

"Hi Temari," I greeted her. The silence fell between our two parties then. I walked towards her, arms outstretched, immediately getting on with fixing diplomatic relationships. She gasped just as I remembered just how much I had liked her when we met the previous time. She hesitated only for a moment before encircling her arms around and embracing me.

"I worried about you three when you left," I admitted, pulling away and looking at her honestly. "I know you were just under orders and I accept that. I know you're quite gentle deep down, Temari and I know that the day I took you to the hot springs, I really liked you. So please don't stutter or worry that this mission will fail. It'll go just fine and at the end of it, I hope we will be friends."

She beamed at me. "Me too. Can I have the honor of showing you around?"

I looked back to the ANBU members and said, "Is that okay, guys?"

"It's fine by us. We have a meeting right now anyway about the ball tonight and security so we better get going," T told me, heading off down the entrance through the dome, with S and D in tow. I waved to them.

"So, how's your brother anyway?" Kankuro asked, sounding slightly awkward, possibly remembering Sasuke chasing after Gaara.

"He's fine. A little jealous he didn't get to come on this mission, but I think it's for the best that he's not here," I replied, speaking as honestly as I could in an attempt to build bridges. I was finding it hard to concentrate have to make small talk when I really wanted to take Gaara to a side and talk to him about why he seemed so different, how he was feeling. I had so many questions.

"Why not?" Kankuro inquired, sounding genuinely interested now. Temari gestured for us to follow her down to entrance to their village and we began walking behind her, Kankuro on my left, Gaara on my right.

"My brother's strong and admired by a lot of people but he's also the most unfriendly bastard you've ever met in your life. He hates people he doesn't trust and I think he could count the people he trusts on one hand. Probably one finger," I responded, grinning at Kankuro, who laughed.

"What about Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara's deep voice asked, speaking for the first time. "How is he?"

I paused a moment, just to look at his face, his striking features. He was without a doubt the most handsome man I'd ever seen. "He's great. He's still eating ramen and sparring with Sasuke at every given moment but he's Naruto. He's awesome."

Gaara nodded and his lips curled upwards into a small smile, something I'd only seen a couple of times and something I was glad to see happening again.

"So, this ball tonight? What're you guys gonna wear?" I asked, beginning to get excited, imagining impossible images of Gaara taking my waist and leading me around a dancefloor surrounded by people.

"Gotta wear a suit and tie. I'm going with the classic purple shirt, dinner jacket and pants," Kankuro told me, smiling.

"Kankuro, purple doesn't sound very classic," I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

"It's classic by my standards," he countered. "Besides, I'm not allowed to wear my purple war paint. I can't wear my war paint but I have to hear Temari prattle on about some blue dress she's wearing that matches her "eyes". What're you gonna wear?"

I noticed Gaara's head perk up a little as we walked when Kankuro asked that. Maybe there was still hope.

"I have no idea yet, the village sent ahead some clothes for me. It's probably exploitative and a little slutty to aid "diplomatic relations' anyway but black or red so it looks "classy"," I grumbled, secretly a little excited at dressing up.

_Dressing up for an A rank mission, huh? It could be worse_, I thought ironically.

The village came into view then, very much like the Hidden Leaf Village, except everything was made of sand.

"Wow, Gaara, this must be like your playground!" I exclaimed in awe. To my surprise, he chuckled and gave me that radiant smile again.

"Yeah, Gaara's even more terrifying on his home front," Kankuro agreed but almost teasingly as he grinned at his little brother. The dynamic of their relationship had clearly changed a lot since I'd last seen them. Kankuro no longer seemed scared of Gaara and Gaara seemed so much more at peace, so much more responsive.

They showed me round the village- they even had a ramen shop! - and finally as the sun began to fall away in the sky, they led me into their apartment. It was surprisingly bright, the floorboards a light tan color and all the furniture a pure white. Their living room had a large TV, a glass table and two white leather sofas. The kitchen was small but full of amenities. The bathroom had a large jacuzzi bath/shower and a toilet - obviously. I was then shown to my room, the guest room, where a large white king size bed with blood red pillows dominated a white room with the same floorboards as the rest of the house, and screen doors leading onto a balcony at the foot of the bed, allowing the sunset to filter into my bedroom. It created a beautiful palette against the snow white walls.

"It's beautiful!" I remarked, dumping my drawstring bag on the bed next to a large suitcase that was already there.

"This is where you'll be staying for the next month. If you need anything, our rooms are just down the hall," Temari explained, opening the screen doors to let the breeze in.

"Temari, _how_ do you live here?" I asked, plopping myself down onto the bed, just as Gaara came to stand in the doorway.

"We're the previous Kazekage's kids. We have quite a bit of currency, you see," she told me. "What's wrong, Gaara?"

"How long do I have to get ready?" he inquired, walking further into the room and setting down his gourd.

"You have about an hour. Don't be late!" she chided. Things had _definitely_ changed if she could chide him now.

"Right. Temari, can I just have a few minutes with Aimi alone please?" he asked, giving her an imploring look that I think he thought I missed.

"Sure," she replied, leaving the room and shutting the door discreetly behind her.

Gaara came to sit on the bed next to me and gazed at me.

He didn't allow the silence to settle. He told me what Naruto had told him in the forest about love and friendship. He told me about how he didn't want to be evil, how he wanted to feel things for others, not to be intent on murder or on being a monster. He told me how once he let go of all the hatred and apologized to his siblings, that things changed between them and they were now very close and how a few of the shinobi in the village were beginning to trust him too. He hadn't killed since he'd returned to the Village Hidden in the Sand.

"And I don't plan to kill again either unless it's to protect someone close to me, someone I care about," he explained, a determined tone in his low voice.

"So... you're willing to try and care about people now?" I asked him slowly.

There was a long pause then and he reached out to push a loose strand of hair back from my face behind my ear, his fingers grazing the shell of my ear softly as he did it, making me tingle inside. It was the first time he'd ever touched me.

"Aimi," he repeated, caressing the word with his tongue.

"Gaara," I whispered.

"Aimi, you saved me. When Naruto was telling me about caring for people who cared for me, I didn't know of an example to compare it to. My siblings had always been too frightened of me to show me they care. But you, you never showed me any fear and right up until the end, you were there for me. You saved me," he said seriously.

I hesitated, unsure whether or not to say what I was thinking. I did anyway. "You know, I never thought you a monster. Ever. That's why I wasn't frightened of you because even though you held yourself back from me as much as you could, once I'd let down _my _defenses and gave you my trust, you came spilling out through the cracks in that sand armor of yours. You just needed someone to have faith in you, to believe in you. To show you that you can have a purpose in life without needing to murder to stop anyone getting close to you and hurting you. I wouldn't hurt you. I believe in you."

He beamed and squeezed my hand lightly. "Anyway, we better get ready for this ball," he decided, standing up and picking up his gourd.

"Yeah, get out, I'm busy," I teased, winking at him. He rolled his eyes at me, shaking his head and then left, shutting the door behind me like his sister had.

I sighed, content. I hadn't meant to pour my heart out to him but it seemed like he really was the Gaara who came every night without fail, the boy I saw behind his fearsome reputation.

_If all A class missions were this good, I'd be going on more_, I thought to myself, as I rifled through the clothes they'd packed for me. Finally, I found what I was looking for. I pulled out a dress already on a hanger and gasped. It was a tight black halter neck dress with a low plunging neckline. It was floor length but had a slit up the right hand side that would come mid-way up my thigh to reveal my legs. I put it on and surveyed myself in the full length mirror before pulling the makeup case I'd seen before from my suitcase.

I called for Temari, having never been any good at makeup. She came in wearing a strapless teal floaty gown and flats, already dressed.

"Temari, you look incredible!" I told her honestly, shocked at how well her dress complimented her eyes.

"Speak for yourself! Are you trying to steal all the men from the Hidden Sand Village's hearts?" she teased, giddy with excitement.

I blushed. _Just one. _"Temari, can you do my makeup for me?"

"Sure," she agreed, giving me an assuring smile. "Just sit down." I sat on the bed and she began dabbing at my face with a light foundation. "So, what were you and my little brother talking about?"

"How he thinks about things differently, how much happier he is now he's let go of the hate in his heart, that sort of thing," I told her.

"Yes, he certainly has. I think you had something to do with that," Temari said, reaching for a blonzer brush and lightly sweeping it up my cheekbones.

"Me? What did I do?"

"Come on, Aimi. We were ordered to never let Gaara out of our sight. You think for a whole month, every night, we would have just let him leave without seeing where he was going?" she asked me, moving on to blusher. I didn't speak. "You truly changed him, letting him in like you did. I thank you for that. Kankuro and I were too frightened of his power to do that and I guess we isolated him, making things worse. But thanks to you and that Naruto kid, you gave me my baby brother back." She looked like she might cry as she began to create what looked like a smoky style eyeshadow on my eyes, which worried me a bit. "He's Gaara again now, not Gaara the Shukaku. He's still quiet and strong, but he's gentle and noble and he most certainly has a soft spot for you." She winked at me then and I giggled. "How do you feel about him, Aimi? I just need to know. Don't break his heart. It's already in smithereens."

She began to do my eyeliner then. "Do you really need to ask how I feel? I would never hurt him. I think he's wonderful," I assured her, thinking of his smile and the way it brightened up the room.

"Do you like him?" she asked, doing my mascara carefully. I nodded slowly and she suppressed a squeal.

"Hey, want me to lend you some heels?" she asked, rushing off to get them before I could answer. I hid out of sight of the doorway, a little nervous about Gaara catching me like this. Temari returned as quickly as she left with black, strappy stilettos.

I put them on and said, "How do I look?" a little awkwardly.

"You look so hot that I'm getting woman love for your legs," she told me very seriously. I laughed just as I heard the boys in the living room laughing too.

"C'mon, let's go get the guys. We're late as it is," she ordered. She was a born eldest sibling.

As we entered the living room, there was a moment in which the guys hadn't noticed us. Gaara had his back to me, talking to Kankuro who was drinking a glass of water. He looked strange without his face paint, but very much like the pictures I had seen of the deceased Fourth Kazekage. I knew Kankuro'd seen me once he turned to us and spat out his drink.

"Wow," he murmured in awe, his eyes on me in shock.

Gaara turned then. He didn't recoil or say "wow" or look shocked but his eyes burned into me, holding my gaze.

I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes.

"You look..." Kankuro began, his words trailing off as his little brother continued to stare. I watched his eyes trailing down from my face to my neckline and then down to the slit up my leg.

"She looks incredible, right?!" Temari asked, sounding victorious. "We gotta go, come on!"

Kankuro hurried out on her orders, past me. Gaara stood up too. He was wearing, as Kankuro had said, a black button down shirt tucked into black pants and a slim white tie. He looked stunning. The monochrome only stood to make the red of his hair and the green of his eyes stand out more.

"Gaara, you're so..." I began, losing the words at the end, feeling myself blush.

"I've never seen you blush before," he remarked, searching my face, his eyes occasionally flickering down my body again. "Come on, let's go," he told me, placing a hand on the small of my back for a moment to encourage me to move, sending little jolts of electricity through my body with the excitement of his touch. That wouldn't get old. We followed Temari and Kankuro out onto the street and walked the two minute stroll to the Kazekage's building.

"It's in the main hall," Kankuro said to us all, leading the way into the building and towards a set of double gold doors. "Now, be good you three. This is aired on television, this summit of sorts, so do your best to look like you like each other," Kankuro instructed to Temari, Gaara and I.

"Why's it on television?" I asked.

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind have a tendency to be extravagant and to show off their grandeur a little when they get together. This is also to give out a clear signal of unity by broadcasting it all over the Five Great Nations," Temari explained, positioning Kankuro next to herself, me on her right and Gaara on my right. "Aimi has to be within us so it looks like she's never left out and probably next to Gaara to show our attempts at healing all the bad blood from the Chunin exams."

She began to walk towards the door having stiffened her body.

"Gaara, don't let me fall, okay?" I asked, biting my lip with the nerves, visions of me tripping up over myself flooding my mind.

"I won't," he said, offering me his arm.

I took it, growing very accustomed to Gaara's new attitude and manners.

"Come on," Temari said as she pushed the doors open.

**Gaara's POV**

We entered into the hall, transformed into a golden ballroom, via the front doors, our entrance visible for all to see. A golden dancefloor commanded the room, surrounded by large circular tables dotted around the perimeter. Further back from the tables were golden plush pews where several feudal lords were sitting, gambling. A bar was situated in the furthest right hand corner from us where I could see several of the council elders gathered. Above our heads, a diamond chandelier loomed over the dancefloor, watching over lovers and friends gliding around the floor to a beautiful song.

All heads turned our way and the pride inside me swelled as they saw me, Gaara, still the Sand's feared and most dangerous weapon with one of the only remaining members of the famed Uchiha clan on my arm. Not just that, but she looked stunning. When she had walked into the living room, that image I'd had of me inside of her that I kept having during the Chunin exams returned and I would have done anything to take her to my room and make her scream my name. The monster inside me had purred softly staring at her long slender legs clearly visible through her dress, her cleavage obvious between her full breasts.

And here she was with me, so stunning that even the Shukaku had quieted, not needing blood, just wanting_ her_. Kankuro could look all he wanted but she was _mine_.

She looked up at me as everyone continued to stare, watching the four of us in the entrance, dressed up for a party.

I could hear them whispering.

"That's Aimi Uchiha."

"Wait, is she with_ Gaara_?"

"Looks like it. The Sand and the Leaf have organized a mission whereby they all have to make friends again."

"Looks like those two are more than friends to me. He'll probably be taking that body every night from now on."

"Can't say I blame him. Their kids would be stunning."

"Messed up as hell though."

I suppressed a growl then, pulling Aimi a little closer. _Mine_. At that moment, a waiter ran to us.

"Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, welcome," he greeted us in a dinner jacket and a false smile. "Ah, you must be Aimi Uchiha. Charmed, I'm sure," he said, reaching for Aimi's hand and kissing it a little too softly for my liking.

"Come on down, we have your table ready," he told us and we followed him to a table very close to both the dancefloor and a larger table where the council elders, also in suits, were sitting.

I pulled Aimi's chair out for her and she sat down, the length of her smooth pearly legs clearly visible to me as she crossed them. It was hard to tear my eyes away, but I managed and sat around the round table of four just to her right, where I could see the slit up her thigh. Temari and Kankuro struck up a conversation about the "waste of money" this ball was and how it was all for show and I took the opportunity to look at Aimi again, to find she was peering at me too, with a look in her eye that screamed debauchery.

I knew now. During the Chunin exams, I'd been pretty sure that she'd wanted me, but once I'd left I wondered if it was just my own sheer arrogance. But in this moment, with her big doe eyes gazing at me in such a private way, I felt we shouldn't be in company, I knew she wanted me too.

Lust and affection in themselves felt like reasons enough to exist. Watching her stare at me like that gave me that sense of purpose I'd always wanted, knowing that somebody wanted _me_. And on top of that, the girl was incredible. The exhilaration I felt in this moment was far greater than any emotion I'd felt after killing someone. It was like seeing the world through brand new eyes.

Suddenly, a glass was chinked several times and one of the council elders stood to make a speech on unity and the deep history between the Village Hidden in the Sand and the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Aimi watched and listened intently and clapped when it was over just like everybody else.

Just then, our first course of the food arrived and conversation on our table turned to the Fifth Hokage.

"Do you guys know who it's going to be yet?" Kankuro asked, shoveling sushi down his neck greedily.

"Not yet, but I heard it's going to be one of the Sannin," she replied, handling her food daintily. She gave off the aura of someone raised in a very respectable home, something that was true of her Uchiha blood standing.

"Isn't Orochimaru one of the Sannin?" Temari inquired, taking a sip of water.

"Yeah. Hopefully it's not him. Him being a Kage once is hopefully enough, right?" she joked, referring to Orochimaru's impersonation of the Kazekage. Kankuro laughed but upon seeing Temari's face fall, she said sadly, "Oh, Temari, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I mean, I know he was our dad but he never had any time for us. We pretty much raised ourselves. We didn't really know him," she admitted, looking down at her now empty plate.

"I say good riddance," I growled, folding my arms. I felt Kankuro and Temari recoil a little at the look of hatred in my eye but Aimi merely nodded.

"I do too," she agreed solemnly, shifting a little, unknowingly letting a little more of her legs show.

As the second and final meal arrived, Aimi began to get a little more relaxed in our company, laughing with Kankuro about what his "war paint" meant and debating with Temari about her battle with the kid she fought in the Chunin exams.

Just then, a song came on and I knew I had to ask her to dance. "Aimi, come dance with me?" I asked, reaching out my hand for her.

She blushed, shot Temari a quick glance, something was either asking for permission or excitement. "Sure," she agreed, taking my hand and letting me lead her out onto the floor, currently with only two other couples dancing.

_Happiness hit her like a train on a track._

I placed my hand on her slender waist and took her hand, letting her other hand snake up to the nape of my neck.

_She hid around corners and she hid under beds. She killed it with kisses and from it she fled._

She was truly the most stunning sight my eyes had ever laid eyes on, more beautiful than a desert sunrise, as unstoppable as a forest fire.

_The dog days are over, the dog days are done. The horses are coming so you better run. Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father. _

I led her round the floor to the beat and spun her under the diamond chandelier.

_Can you hear the horses? 'Cause here they come._

Our bodies moved in total sync, as if we were born to do this, born to dance with one another, as if our bodies had known each other and this song for all of eternity, waiting to be awakened just for these three minutes of our lives.

_Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back._

I twirled her body around the floor, the feel of it in my hands giving me that purpose, that reason to be. The trust she had in me not to hurt her truly shocked me. The feel of her waist was exactly as I imagined it would be in my imagination and as we soared around the floor, I realized I never wanted this moment to end.

_The dog days are over. The dog days are done. Can you hear the horses?_

I lifted her skyward and stared into her face, ecstasy evident on her beautiful features.

_'Cause here they come._

Aimi.

* * *

**Author's Note: Do you think he's finally falling in love with her?! What did you think of the dance? What do you think'll happen now Aimi's staying in the Sand for a month?! Please REVIEW and let me know.  
**

**Also, if I get up to 20 reviews, I'll update this tomorrow :) **

**Also, while I'm at it, Masashi Kishimoto, if you're out there, PLEASE MAKE SHIKATEMA HAPPEN?!**


	8. Chapter 8

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. I would like to own Liam O'Brien a million times over though.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**  


* * *

_You're taking over my life  
_

_but I don't seem to mind,_

_and there's no stopping you_

_taking me on a ride._

_I, I'm really falling for you._

_**- Busted, Falling For You**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

When the song had ended, a roar of clapping descended on us as we panted lightly. He was holding my waist to him, a look of wonderment in his eyes.

I looked up to see people clapping, staring at_ us_.

"Gaara, what do we do?" I whispered in his ear, nestling into his body closely. He smelled like amber, spices and musk.

"We just smile," he told me, leading me back to the table.

I realized what it looked like then- the Sand's ultimate weapon dancing with a member of one of the Leaf's strongest clans. So, we'd walked right into propaganda. I didn't mind, I thought as I sat down, exhilarated from the dancing. Clearly, as something had changed in Gaara's relationship with his siblings, something was about to change in us too.

Temari and Kankuro smirked at us before delving into a conversation about people we'd met during the Chunin exams, mostly Shikamaru. Gaara didn't say a word, nor did he take his eyes off me the whole time.

Just then, a Sand council elder came to our table. "Hello, you three. Enjoying yourselves? Ah, and Aimi Uchiha! What a pleasure to see you in our village!"

"It's a pleasure to be here, sir," I told him eagerly, as he brushed down an ancient looking suit.

"Now, you kids, I saw you dancing out there. Where did you learn to move like that?" Before we could respond, he'd answered his own question. "Well, Gaara _is _the son of our former Kazekage, rest his soul and I guess you were probably taught as a child with a bloodline as strong as yours, Aimi."

I nodded, smiling politely.

"I'm glad to see you two taking this call for unity so seriously," he implied, leaving us with a knowing look as he walked away.

I gasped. "Did he just-?"

"I think he did," Temari said, giggling. I blushed furiously and caught Gaara's eye.

"Nosey old man," I grumbled under my breath.

As the night drew to a close, we said our goodbyes to the council elders, thanked them for the excellent ball and walked home. I took my shoes off as we got outside.

"Man, my feet are killing me," I complained, picking them up and hobbling down the sandy street. "Temari, did you give me evil shoes?"

"No, it's just because you danced the night away," she said in a light teasing voice. "You know everyone in the Leaf Village will have been watching your and Gaara's performance on the TV."

"Oh, crap!" I cursed, while they laughed. "Sasuke's gonna kill me. Why would they have been focusing on us anyway?"

"You two are the beacons, that's why. Everyone kinda sat down to watch you both while you were dancing so you were the only thing to focus on," Kankuro explained, grinning as he watched me cringe.

I continued to hobble and gasp in pain every few seconds at the throbbing in my feet. The walk home was taking a lot longer than the walk here.

"Come here," Gaara said finally, turning and bending down a little, gesturing for me to climb onto his back. "I'll carry you."

I clambered up onto his back, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, relishing in touching him again, something I'd wanted to do for so long. I remembered my dreams where I longed to touch him, and now it was a reality. His hands clasped onto my legs, his right holding my bare thigh tightly. I did a double take a little as I felt his fingers so high up my leg, so confident in their touch but he did not relax his grip or let go, he just carried me through the streets, his brother and sister either side of him talking about some meeting she had to attend tomorrow. Gaara stayed quiet.

I rested my head on his shoulder. His hand on my thigh was sending tingles to an area in between my legs. "Hey, Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"What's it like being without your gourd? Is it weird?"

He chuckled. "Not really. It's weirder carrying a human who fidgets as much as you."

"Hey!" I said sharply. He sighed as we reached the apartment and he carried me all the way upstairs. Kankuro and Temari said goodnight and Gaara carried me down the hall to my room. When we entered, he set me down slowly, releasing my thigh, leaving sparks where his hand had been.

The room was dark, peaceful and silent, lit only by the moonlight. All that could be heard was our breathing.

"Aimi?" he whispered softly, sounding more vulnerable than I'd ever heard him before.

"Yes?"

He leaned towards me then and I closed my eyes, feeling our lips finally meet. They were soft, warm and gentle as I sunk into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck, entangling my fingers in his crimson hair. His arms were around my waist and he kept pulling me closer until there was no space between our bodies, just an insatiable desire for one another. His tongue slid the length of my bottom lip, asking for permission. I granted it and our tongues battled. He dominated easily and I moaned a little as one of hands stroked the bare skin on my back.

When we broke apart, he kept his hand on my waist and cupped my cheek. "I don't want to be a monster. I am seeing in me now the things Naruto spoke of," he whispered calmly.

I grinned. "You're gonna bring up Naruto at a moment like this?" I teased, feeling his hair graze my hands as my fingers nestled into his locks.

He smiled. "I don't want to be a monster," he repeated, his voice shaking a little. "I don't want to kill people to feel.. I, I just want to be given a reason to exist."

"Exist for me," I told him simply. "Exist for us. I want you around. Your brother and sister want you around. I'll never let you feel unwanted."

"How?"

I answered him with the softest kiss I could manage, allowing the way I felt about him to show in my eyes.

"Do you want me to...?" he began, trailing off at the end of his sentence. Could he see me looking at him like he hung the moon?

"Do I want you to what?" I asked him, my arms still draped around his shoulders, feeling the cool skin at the nape of his neck.

"Never mind," he stated, giving me a little smile again. I'd seen him smile so much and I'd only been here for a day. He withdrew from my embrace and headed for the door.

"Tell me!" I spluttered. "What were you going to say?"

"I'll tell you when I'm surer of the answer," he promised, leaving the room and heading down the dark hallway.

I slept soundly that night dreaming of emeralds and a beach, the waves lapping up on the shore, caressing the sand below.

The next morning, I awoke to the sun pouring in my room. I went to the screen door and opened it up onto the balcony. I stepped out in Sasuke's T-shirt and his shorts and watched the people of the Sand Village milling about their daily business. The buzz of the village was much the same as the Leaf Village, except that people seemed to be in slightly more of a rush here. That was probably because Shikamaru wasn't here, however.

I left the screen door open and wandered down the hallway to the living room where Gaara and Kankuro were having breakfast and watching the news.

"Morning, children," I greeted them, sitting on Gaara's other side and watching the news.

"Aren't you the same age as Gaara here?" Kankuro chided.

"Actually, she's even younger than me," Gaara confirmed. "My birthday's January 19th and hers is way later on July 23rd."

Kankuro laughed but I was shocked. "Hey, how the hell do you know when my birthday is?!"

"When we were supposed to invade the Leaf Village, you don't they think didn't give us any information on the other genin in the exams, do you?" Kankuro asked, hints of teasing in his tone, Gaara nodding.

I ignored him. "Where's Temari?"

"She's gone down to the council room already for a meeting with the Leaf. I'm supposed to go down there later too, to file a report," Kankuro answered.

I turned back to the news. Just then, a feature came on about the Unity Ball between the Sand and the Leaf the previous night.

"The ball took place last night in the Kazekage's residence and many jonin, council elders and respectable shinobi were invited including the previous Kazekage's three children, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro. They were accompanied by Aimi Uchiha, one of the two remaining survivors of the Uchiha clan massacre. She has recently become renowned for her performance during the Chunin exams. As the ball began, it became apparent that the two parties were extending much more than the hand of friendship." Then, they cut away to a recording of a couple gliding around a dancefloor.

"Is that_ us_?!" I spluttered as the reporter continued talking. Kankuro hushed me gently.

"Gaara, considered one of the strongest up and coming shinobi in the Land of Wind by many danced the night away with this beauty, at times so intimate that they appeared in their own world. One onlooker said, 'watching the way they looked at each other. It gives us all hope for the future '. There have been several underground rumors of something more than attempts at international co-operation between the two since the Chunin exams and this intimate dance has only fuelled the rumors. If the two are in a relationship, it would cause complications for the attempts at creating an alliance between the two nations and tension among the council elders due to any wayward activity and the two being unable to represent their nations competently. Nevertheless, we wish the two of them well." They cut to a report then on increasing Akatsuki movements.

"_WHAT IN THE ABSOLUTE FUCK IS THIS SHIT ABOUT_?!" I screamed, jumping to my feet and pacing up and down. "_What the fuck_? "Intimate"? I'll show them intimate. We were dancing to Dog Days are Over, not some slow soppy love song! How can they just report shit like this? Gaara, can you believe this?"

He was shaking. He didn't answer.

"Gaara?"

Kankuro wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder. "He's too angry to speak, Aimi."

"Why?"

"He's furious. The people of this village ostracized and isolated him, fearing and hating him as a child. He grew up hated by everyone in this village but all of a sudden, now he's linked with a girl, they're treating his life like a soap opera and it's hypocritical and unfair, as if they've always supported him when a few months ago, they were reporting the insanity of the Kazekage's mad son," Kankuro explained as Gaara's hands came up to cover his own ears, blocking out the sound of the memories.

"Oh, Gaara," I sympathized, moving to sit next to him and rubbing his back in circles. "It's okay, sweetie. We're not even in a relationship anyway. There's nothing going on between us," I lied, trying to cheer him up, leaning forward to catch his eye. "It's okay, I promise."

Gaara's body suddenly became very stiff and his breath began rasping.

"Aimi, I think you need to give us some space. He's a little worked up now and you don't want to awaken the demon in him when he's spent so long suppressing it because you're wound up too. Just go and get ready," Kankuro advised, his eyes apologetic. He knew as well as I did that I meant well. He just wanted to protect his brother.

I nodded and went and gathered my things for a shower. I got in and immersed myself in billowing steam, blocking out the noise of Gaara's hyperventilating with the sound of the stream of the water. As I shampoo-ed my hair, I worried about what I had told him.

"_There's nothing going on between us_."

But there wasn't, not really, except for that kiss last night.

Did he even care that I'd said that?

And if he didn't care, how did that make me feel?

I got out of the shower and dried myself off before going to my bedroom and drying my hair. I heard the door shut down the hall as Kankuro left to file his report. Gaara must've stayed in the living room rather than being with me. That hurt.

I got dressed slowly into my usual black shorts and strapless black crop top vest and lay down on the bed, suddenly very tired. Before, I knew it, I was drifting off…

"Aimi? AIMI!" a voice shouted from the doorway.

I awoke with a start. "What?"

"I made some lunch. You want some, sleephead?" Temari asked.

"No, thanks," I replied and she left the room.

But somewhere in my mind, I felt the remnants of the dream still manifesting in my mind, the smell of musk, spices and blood red._  
_

* * *

**Author's Note: Was the sex dream too sudden?**

**Please review and tell me what you think. If I'm honest, I'm worried this story's going really badly and I really could do with some support or criticism or just some acknowledgement that it's okay and to keep going. I'm panicking. I do this a lot.  
**

**Anyway, I'm off. Until next time :)  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. If I did, Shikamaru and Kiba would wear their mesh undershirts every episode. Mmm, mesh undershirts.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)_**

* * *

_What have I gotten into this time around?_

_I know that I had sworn I'd never trust _

_anyone again but I didn't have to,_

_You had me at hello._

_- **A Day To Remember, You Had Me At Hello**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

The next couple of weeks brought with them a strong concentration of happiness that I'd never experienced before. Gaara and I found our moments to experience a couple of chaste kisses and suggestive looks around corners and over the living room table. We did as much as we could to not draw suspicion from his siblings. Undoubtedly, they must've known we had feelings for each other but they did not yet know we had acted upon them. However, that night after the dance had been our only chance at true passion since at least one of his siblings was always in the house. It seemed a little like they were keeping an eye on us, preventing us from damaging the mission by letting our personal feelings get in the way - the true mark of a shinobi.

We attended meetings regularly to discuss the future of the Sand and Leaf. Gaara and I proposed that the two countries carry out more joint missions to cement trust between shinobi and encourage international friendship. Our suggestion was "noted" and widely praised.

I wrote to Sasuke every other day, telling only him of my indiscretions with Gaara and of that kiss. I told him about the heat and how he'd hate it here because he hated sand. I told him about Kankuro's teasing and Temari's class. I took the letters to the jonin council room and they agreed to send my letters home to my brother via Takamaru.

And then I waited for a response from him that never came.

"It's just so frustrating," I grumbled one morning, punching the kitchen counter with my fist as I awoke to another day without a response from Sasuke.

"Aimi, careful!" Temari chided as I nearly spilled the tea.

I ignored her and carried my own cup of tea into the living room and sat beside Kankuro. Gaara was in his room having just had a shower for a fifteen minute period in my life that I spent trying not to imagine him in that shower and the soap suds sliding down his body, his head thrown back into the stream of the water. "I mean, I send Sasuke like a _thousand _letters," I over-exaggerated, "and I get not _one _response. Why's he being like this?"

"No idea, Aims. Maybe he's mad you've gotten so close to Gaara; he must've seen the video of you two dancing. He and Gaara did pretty much hate each other's guts the last time they met." Kankuro theorized.

"You're probably right. Still, it doesn't give him a reason to ignore me. We're all each other has!" I exclaimed exasperated.

"Hey, you have us!" Kankuro contested.

"You're not my brother though, you douchebag."

"As good as while you're here! I've always wanted a little sister!" he said, grinning.

"Awww, really?" I said, grinning.

"Yeah." I gave him a high five.

"Hey wait, my favorite show's coming on," he said, getting to his feet and... dancing?

"I'LL BE THERE FOR YO-OU."

"Kankuro, what're you doing?" I asked, cringing.

"When the rain starts to fall!" He crouched down, wiggling his fingers on the way as if to represent rain.

"Kankuro, stop, you're embarrassing me," I muttered over his incessant dancing. "Stop that! Just stop it," I demanded, throwing a cushion at him which he dodged easily.

"Cause you're there for me tooooooo," he finished, giving a bow. "Hey, at least I do it behind closed doors. What about you and my little brother dancing in full view of everyone, hmm? I mean, did you ever consider how embarrassing that was for me? Did you ever think of _my _feelings?" he teased with a mock self-pitying tone to his voice, sitting down.

"That's different," I told him, not looking at him but watching two characters in a chapel in Vegas.

"How?"

"We were actually _good_ at dancing, moron."

He didn't respond but rather leapt to his feet. "ROSS GOT MARRIED AGAIN?!"

"Temari! Kankuro's getting too into sitcoms again! He just did an interpretative dance to the theme song!" I called over the top of Kankuro saying in a shocked tone, "and to Rachel?!"

Temari laughed from the kitchen. "Just leave him to it. We're not responsible for his madness. Aimi, can you go get Gaara for breakfast?"

"Okay," I replied, getting to my feet and walking down the short corridor that led off the main hall to where I knew Gaara's room to be, to the sound of Kankuro talking seriously to the television - "You're right, Chandler. _Is_ everyone getting married? That is the question." - I knocked on the door tentatively and waited for a response.

"Come in," I heard Gaara instruct. I opened the door to his bedroom to be greeted by an incredible sight. His room was much like my spare room, except with grand golden bedsheets and a well cultivated cactus on a desk. It was lit by a huge window on one wall, allowing the sunlight to pour in like it did in my room. Gaara's gourd was leant against his bedside table upon which a lamp and his forehead protector had been placed.

He stood with his overalls up to his waist and a mesh undershirt over his torso. I froze, taking in the sight of him and how defined the undershirt made him look, staring at his shoulder blades, visible through the mesh, and the drops of water tracing a path down the nape of his neck.

"Errr, G-Gaara?" I stuttered. He turned halfway to me then, his chest distinct through his shirt. I could clearly see his chest, his biceps and a light six pack. While he was muscular, he was lean enough to not look stocky or like a body builder. He was perfect. Little diamonds of water dripped down his collarbone from his hair, which was drying in messy crimson spikes.

If he knew I was melting on the inside, he gave away no sign. He gave no sign that anything was out of the ordinary as his eyes slid sideways to me. "Yes?"

"Breakfast is er, ready," I said, unable to tear my eyes away from him. He nodded and I moved to turn away and get out before I drooled or attacked him.

"Gaara! Aimi! Breakfast! Stop loafing around!" Temari ordered from the kitchen.

I giggled nervously and said, "I'll see you in there, I guess." He nodded again and I left the room, taking a final glance at his near half naked form. Temari laid out breakfast in the living room and I knelt next to the table. About five minutes in, Gaara arrived, fully dressed into his usual maroon outfit.

"What're we doing today then?" I asked, sipping more tea.

"We should do some training probably. Can't let some easy mission get in the way of me kicking ass, can I? I really wanna practice more of the Crow and the Black Ant's combo moves," Kankuro suggested, finishing up his cereal.

"I'd love that! I never got the chance to battle any of you. Well, except Gaara but I had no chakra and he kicked my butt," I said.

Thirty minutes later, we had arrived at the Sand Village's training grounds. Kankuro challenged Temari to a battle and it ensued with vigor. Gaara and I sat by, watching, Gaara's sand swirling around him.

"Hey, Gaara. How come you've never smoked?" I asked randomly, after letting my thoughts drift off while Temari unleashed her Cyclone Psych Jutsu on the Crow.

"You ask such strange questions," he remarked, sounding bemused.

"I'm just asking because you're that cool, silent type. You act like a smoker," I stated, my volume dropping at the end as I realized I was sounding silly as I thought of Asuma-sensei back home. _Home. _

"I don't smoke. I'm Gaara of the Desert. I just kill anyone who threatens the people I care about," he told me, without looking at me.

"Would you kill anyone who threatened me?" I asked, despite myself.

"Yes," he replied stoically, still not looking at me.

Just then, Temari and Kankuro's match was over with Kankuro having won.

"Hey, Aimi, come out here, I wanna battle you!" he shouted to me. I stood up and hurried over. I took a defensive stance watching carefully. He already had his puppets out from his battle with Temari and seeing them both with that eerie dead look in their eyes, trained towards me was a little terrifying. "BEGIN!"

It happened just as Kankuro threw his hands forward to allow the puppets to fly at me and attack. I was about to make a handsign to create a fireball and burn his puppets to cinders. Suddenly, as they came far too close, too close for me to be able to resist, a wall of sand came up in front of me, causing both puppets to crash noisily into the impenetrable defense.

"Gaara, you can't do that! That's cheating!" Kankuro yelled aggressively to his brother, as the sand fell away.

Gaara face was dumbfounded. "I'm not doing anything!" he spluttered. His eyes were wide as he looked from me to his brother.

"What do you mean? That wall of sand just came up and stopped Kankuro's attack on Aimi! It must've been you," Temari argued next to him.

"I swear it wasn't," he promised, getting to his feet.

"What so the sand just did it all by itself?" I asked satirically, folding my eyes. "I don't need protecting."

"The sand disagrees obviously," Kankuro muttered under his breath.

"Kankuro, attack Aimi without your puppets," Gaara ordered in a strong, quiet, steady voice.

"What?"

"Just throw a kunai at her," he demanded, his voice getting sharper.

"But-"

"Kankuro, just do it," he snarled. "Aimi, don't react."

Kankuro pulled out a kunai reluctantly. "Are you sure about this? Are you okay, Aimi?"

"Yeah, just aim for my legs. If it hits, we'll go to the medics," I murmured, trying to process what it meant if Gaara's sand was protecting me...

Kankuro threw the kunai then, with all his might and I kept my eyes trained on Gaara's gourd. Within the blink of an eye, as the kunai reached a three meter range, the sand spilled out of his gourd and flew through the air stopping directly in front of my body and compacting... exactly like Gaara's sand shield did.

As the kunai hit the shield and the shield thereafter dissipated, we were all silent. Kankuro was breathing heavily, Gaara and Temari frozen staring at the sand at my feet.

_Is it because of how he feels?_ I thought to myself, feeling victorious and very surprised. Gaara's eyes caught mine and our gaze look.

"Wh-what?" I asked, pointing at the sand at my feet.

"I don't know. I have no idea what's happening," Gaara rasped, sounding utterly perplexed and very exasperated. Suddenly, he got to his feet and walked out of the training grounds holding his head in his hands and quivering a little.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked Kankuro who was staring at the gate Gaara had exited from.

"Yeah... I think so. I don't know what's going on either... Maybe he did it subconsciously?" Kankuro pondered, more to himself than us.

"It might be Shukaku. Gaara used to talk about your blood when he was more... you know," Temari said, unable to refer to her little brother as 'demonic'. "It might be Shukaku protecting his prey."

"I have no idea what just happened..." I whispered, crouching down to touch the sand at my feet.

After a few minutes of speculation, we continued training. Or rather Temari and Kankuro continued training. I was deemed an unfair fight since I had my own jutsu and Gaara's sand shield for some reason. Regardless, I was too shaken up to train anyway.

Gaara and I would be having a long discussion about the reasons for it later if I could corner him.

**Someone's POV**

The kids were completely oblivious to a silent figure watching them from the shadows, observing as the Sand Demon's ultimate defense leapt to the aid of the Uchiha girl.

And then that look between them. Watching that girl's slender body, seeing her hair tumble over her breasts which nearly spilled out of her crop top several times, her legs as long and powerful as they had been at the ball, it made something twitch inside my pants.

The Demon had stalked off and a few minutes later his weaker brother made a joke at the girl who beamed at him, albeit with a nervous look in her eye.

But I would make sure to wipe that naïve grin right off her young, innocent face.

* * *

**Author's Note: WHO DO YOU THINK THE SOMEONE IS?! WHY DO YOU THINK GAARA'S SAND IS PROTECTING HER? REVIEW, GALORE! What do you think has happened?!  
**

**Also, I may or may not be posting tomorrow. Have a check tomorrow night but just to be sure, add me to your alerts so you get an email when I've updated if you're reading and not signed in? :)  
**

**Until, next time, beautiful people! Review :) I love reading your thoughts.**


	10. Chapter 10

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. Also, I love mesh undershirts like I love reviews. So review for the sake of mesh undershirts.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)_**

* * *

_God smiles on my little brother,_

_Inside and out he's better than I am._

_I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run and I_

_had the best days with you_**_._**

**_- Taylor Swift, The Best Day_**

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

After we'd discovered that the sand shield had begun to protect me, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and I spent much of our waking time trying to work out what was causing it, whether it was Shukaku and what it meant. We tested it with my Sharingan, with my fire, with my lightning. No matter what happened, it protected me as it protected Gaara. However, I could not control it or wield it the way Gaara could; it just seemed to come to my aid whenever Gaara was in a 50 feet range. Temari worked it out to be a 49 feet and 6.8 inches range to be exact. It was both exhilarating and debilitating in that I could no longer defend _myself _when he was around. Even when Gaara went to attack me, it still rose up to defend me.

As Kankuro attacking me was the first time I'd been attacked since I'd arrived in the Sand village, we couldn't quite work out when the sand has decided to jump to my defense. We concluded it must've been after the Chunin exams as it didn't come to my aid when I had attacked Gaara in the forest during the invasion.

Gaara seemed rather set against discussing it, chagrin grazing his eyes whenever the topic was brought up. He was happy to experiment with it but every time I went to talk to him, my resolve faltered at the look in his eye and I gave up. He didn't seem to resent me for it but rather resent himself as it seemed to him like a great weakness on his part.

Temari and I had discussed if the sand shield choosing to protect me was due to Gaara's changing feelings privately on our way to the closing ceremony. It had been arranged to say farewell to all the Leaf shinobi midway through the final week of the month I'd been staying here for those leaving early.

"Gaara's never trusted anyone the way he trusts you. Even with us, he's still got his defenses up a little because we've had our defenses up to _him _since he was born. I'm wondering if because of how much he trusts you and the fact that you've always had your guard down for him that he's somehow transferred his own physical defenses to you inadvertently because you're special to him. He'd never admit it though."

I reveled in that, that even his older sister thought me to be special to him.

**Gaara's POV**

We set off for the closing ceremony that morning, outside the Kazekage's building. Temari and Aimi walked a little ahead of us. It was incredibly poignant knowing she was about to leave and this was amongst the only time we had left with one another now but I felt myself pulling away, still shaken up by my sand protecting her. Musing on the reasons for it did me no good and confusion coiled in my body when I thought of how the sand had just leapt out of the gourd to her defense.

My main problem was that I really had no idea how to label what I felt for her. It was tearing me up inside every time she smiled and I felt myself soften. It tore me up every morning she awoke to see her brother hadn't contacted her and her face fell. I didn't know what was happening to me but when she asked if I'd protect her if anyone threatened her, I knew that I meant it when I said "yes".

We arrived at the ceremony to one of the council elders making a speech about the clear alliance between our two villages and the "Special Relationship" we would always share together. They played a song called "Footprints in the Sand" and Aimi started to cry on Temari's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Aimi?" Temari asked, half amused, half crying herself.

"I'm just going to miss you three so much," Aimi sniveled. "You're like my family. Even more so, since my own is ignoring me," she said ironically.

"Come back all the time, okay?" Kankuro asked, hugging her fiercely.

"Hey, we've still got another three days left! But sure, I'll come back whenever I can," she said, although we all knew we weren't sure how often this could happen with us all being shinobi.

Aimi held her arms out to me then tentatively. I heard several little gasps from the surrounding shinobi who watched her actions, fearful for her life, wondering if Gaara of the Desert was about to kill again. I ignored them, stepped forward and allowed Aimi to embrace me.

"You'll find my footprints in the sand," she whispered in my ear, tickling the shell with her warm breath and I fought off the urge to hold her tightly and never let go.

However, just as the crowds began to disperse and Leaf Village ninja already packed up to leave headed for the exit points in the village, Baki-sensei headed over to us.

"You four are needed in the jonin council room immediately," he ordered.

"Four?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes, immediately. Hurry, it's very important," he said strictly before hurrying off somewhere.

We went up to the jonin council room, Kankuro coming up with many stupid suggestions as to what they could need us for.

"Maybe they want us to go catch a cat."

"Maybe they want us to decorate the council room. HEY, we should do it like the apartment in Friends, all purple and awesome."

"Maybe they want us to teach them the hand jive."

"BORN TO HAND JIVE, BABY!"

As we entered, several jonin from the Sand Village and a few from the Hidden Leaf, including a pretty woman with red eyes and a man with a cigarette who I had noticed were senseis during the Chunin exams, stood in front of the table, their faces grave.

"We have a situation," one of the sand jonin stated to us.

"Yura, I think we should handle this," the woman suggested, raising a hand to silence him.

"What's happened, Kurenai-sensei?" Aimi asked, sensing the sombre tone in the room and sounding worried. So Aimi knew them.

"Aimi, something's - something's happened with, with someone you're very close to," Kurenai said, pausing frequently as if she was unable to tackle the matter.

Aimi seemed lost in thought for a moment and then gasped, raising her hands to her face in shock. "Please don't."

"Aimi?"

"No. It's not-? It's not him, is it?"

Kurenai didn't say anything.

"Please? Please tell me it's not Sasuke?"

No one said anything, no one bothering to reply to her and I suppressed a growl as they gave her sympathetic glances.

"Ohh, oh. Oh no," Aimi whispered, more to herself than us. She clutched her stomach as if to hold something in. "He didn't return any of my letters."

From the back, one of our council elders stood up. "I can explain that. You see, we needed you to focus on your mission so we decided to hold back your messages."

Before Aimi had time to process what he'd said, I noticed him shoot a very dark, angry look between Aimi and I- as if he knew something. Had he been _reading _her mail?

"_What?_ You held back my mail for my brother? You drag me away from him, when we only have each other left in the world-"

"Seems like you've found someone else to _have_ in the world-" one of the elders muttered.

"What the hell did you just say?" Aimi snarled, stepping forward. Temari grabbed her wrist and tugged at her silently. Aimi looked at Temari and Temari shook her head, in an attempt to calm Aimi.

"Aimi, just calm down," Asuma said, gesturing calming movements with his hands, puffing on a cigarette.

"What happened to him?" she asked, moving from a snarling anger to a whispered pain as she clutched at her torso again. "Is he okay? Will he be okay? Was it the... curse mark?"

Kurenai nodded gravely. "We believe he's run away to Orochimaru. A few weeks ago, two members of the Akatsuki infiltrated the Leaf Village. We tried but-"

"Woah woah woah. Which members?" Aimi interrupted, her eyes flashing.

Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a pained look. "It was Itachi and his partner, Kisame."

"M-my brother, Itachi?" she asked quietly before raising her voice and screeching, "YOU LET ITACHI NEAR MY BROTHER?!"

All of the jonin visibly flinched.

"We tried, Aimi," Kurenai pleaded as Aimi crumpled to her feet, her eyes wild. "We really did. But he found Sasuke and Naruto. We thought Sasuke was handling it well after the battle between Itachi and himself. Well, it wasn't much of a battle. Itachi merely flicked Sasuke away like a fly in an attempt to get to Naruto, Naruto said. But we found out that late last night, he left the Hidden Leaf Village and headed for Orochimaru. Lady Tsunade-"

_So she had been made Hokage_, I thought to myself

"-has already sent a retrieval squad after him."

"Who's in it? Who's gone after my brother?" Aimi asked hysterically, her voice shaking.

"Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuga, Kiba Inzuka, Choji Akimichi and Naruto Uzumaki," the man named Asuma said calmly, watching her expression carefully as Aimi's hysterics eased off a little.

"Naruto's going?" she said, the shaking in her voice subsiding. Kurenai and Asuma looked relieved.

"Yes," Kurenai said. "But we realize that Orochimaru will not have merely let Sasuke come to the Hidden Sound Village alone, he will need guiding there, possibly by Orochimaru's henchmen. Lady Tsunade feels that if this is true and combat ensues, the retrieval squad will need some help. So, you four will go after the retrieval squad and aid them in bringing Sasuke back. You will leave immediately."

Aimi grunted and spun on her heel, power-walking out of the room. Temari gave a nervous laugh and nodded respectfully to the jonin and we followed after Aimi.

"Aimi?" Kankuro asked gently as she stalked out of the Kazekage's building and headed for the apartment.

I said nothing and just followed her. Nothing any of us could say would make her feel better. The only thing on her mind now was her brother and the only thing that would make her feel better would be her going after him or taking comfort in the fact Naruto was on his way.

_Naruto Uzumaki, _I pondered as Aimi threw the door to the apartment open and ran upstairs. _He has a way of changing people. If anyone can bring Sasuke back…_

We all went to pack for the mission separately and Aimi could be heard punching the bed and snarling in frustration.

I waited silently by the front door, my gourd secured firmly to my back. Temari came bustling out of her room, followed by Kankuro.

"Do you think they'll get...?" Temari began, trailing off, not wanting to finish her sentence.

Just then, Aimi came out of her room, tear tracks down her face and her eyes a little red. She slammed the door shut behind her and paced quickly past us to the front door and let herself out without bothering to speak to us.

She progressed to the east exit of the village hurriedly, looking back a few times in frustration to check we were still with her. I kept about five feet behind her at all times, easily keeping up with her pace.

"How will we know where they are?" Temari asked, biting her lip.

"It's a straight path from the Leaf to the Sound village. Sasuke'll have gone that way and the retrieval squad will have known that too. Once we find one, we'll have found them all in a line with Sasuke at the end of it," Aimi growled. "Our mission is to help out the retrieval squad but I tell you, any chance I get to make sure my brother comes back any way I can, I'll take it, regardless of the retrieval squad."

She began sprinting across the desert then and we followed.

"Aimi, why did you calm down a little when that jonin mentioned Naruto's name?" Kankuro asked, seeming puzzled.

"Because Naruto has a better chance of bringing my brother home than I do," she admitted, her voice sounding serene for the first time.

Kankuro looked shocked. "What do you mean? I thought you two were close as hell."

"Temari, remember when Gaara used to kill people all the time?" Aimi asked Temari casually, turning her head to the right to survey her.

"Yeah?"

"If he was intent on killing, on getting revenge on every person alive for making his life a misery, could you stop him?"

"No," she said, looking past Aimi to give me a strangely fond look. "He never listened to me, not once. I tried but no matter what I did, he'd set a path for himself. In the end, only that Naruto kid could talk him out of it."

"Exactly. Sasuke sees me as his little innocent sister who doesn't see the value in his plan for revenge. He believes I don't understand and I can't, if I'm honest. I don't understand why he won't rise above it but that's because we're such different people. Naruto understands it better and he hasn't abandoned him-" her voice went very high pitched and weak "-like I have. If anyone can bring Sasuke back, it's Naruto. I trust him," she said, growling at the end.

We continued running for hours, across savannah and grassland and finally into forest. We shot through the trees and began to hear the sounds of a scuffle.

"I'll take this one," Kankuro volunteered, heading off to our right.

**Aimi's POV**

Temari, Gaara and I continued through the forest, heading in a straight north easterly direction until we heard a further fray happening.

"I'll go," Temari offered, leaping down to help out whoever it was.

Gaara and I continued in silence. I pushed myself as hard as I could until we came to a large clearing just in time to see Lee being attacked by a man with grey hair and bones protruding his body.

"No," Gaara growled viciously, hurling sand out to save him. He succeeded and Lee fell back onto a soft bed of sand at our feet.

"Who are you?" our opponent asked, sounding perplexed.

I placed one hand on my hip and smirked at the man. "We're shinobi."

"Of the sand," Gaara continued, his voice cold. He walked in front of Lee to face off against the grey haired Sound ninja, clearly one of Sasuke's supposed guides.

"Gaara, Aimi," Lee whispered, with awe and gratitude.

"Lee, where's Sasuke?" I asked him, leaning down to inspect his injuries. He was weak, worn out and injured but not badly. He would be fine.

"I do not know. Naruto has gone after him," Lee told me, staring at Gaara.

"Which way did they go?" I inquired, scanning the clearing for an orange jumpsuit.

"I did not see," Lee said, shaking his head in frustration. "I am sorry. But Naruto has sworn to bring him home and I trust him. He is absolutely determined to bring Sasuke home."

I nodded fiercely.

_It's as I thought before_, I thought. _Naruto's gone after him. Sasuke's probably furious with me and at any rate, I don't know where they've gone. Sasuke would never listen to his sister, he sees me as beneath him. All I can do is help out here.  
_  
I nodded again. "I trust him too. If anyone can bring my brother home, it's Naruto. I have faith in him."

I went to stand by Gaara, ready to help when our opponent spoke. "Gaara, is that what they call you? And you must be Sasuke's twin sister. Yes, I've heard all about you... DIGITAL SHRAPNEL!"

He shot bones from his fingertips at us and immediately Gaara's sand leapt up to protect us.

Peeling a little of the shield back to reveal part of his face, Gaara spoke to our opponent. "Impulsive, aren't you?"

He turned to Lee then, still lying on the ground and remarked, "You're different. When you fought against me, you had much more agility and sharpness."

Lee looked surprised and slowly got to his feet, groaning in pain. "I figured you would say that. I am not the kind of person who holds a grudge. Even so, because of you I have had a fairly tough time of it," he told Gaara, a smile on his face.

Gaara seemed to contemplate this for a moment. "Really?" He began pouring sand into the ground.

"Anyway, why have you come here?" Lee inquired.

"Stupid question, Lee," I told him, sticking my tongue out and smiling, trying to make light of the situation.

"I meant Gaara."

He glanced at Lee out of the corner of his eye. "I owe the Leaf," he said, turning to me and holding my gaze. "I owe the Leaf a great debt."

I wondered in that moment if I'd ever been more attracted to him than I was right there as he commanded the battlefield with a silent finesse and a confident strength.

The man we were facing looked a wreck. Bones protruded from his body in spikes, as if he'd been stabbed multiple times. His eyes expressed a hatred so deep, I felt uncomfortable looking at him.

In that moment, Lee stepped forward, taking on a "ready" stance, blood dripping from his left limbs. I saw the pain in Gaara's eyes as he saw the damage he had done to Lee the last time they had come face to face.

"I'll handle this," Gaara stated, glaring at the boned freak.

"No, please! Just back me up!" Lee called, running towards Bone Freak. Gaara's sand caught Lee by the ankle and he landed on yet another bed of sand.

"I've got sand in my mouth!" he complained. "Will you please let go of me?!" But he winced in clear pain at that moment, clutching his left arm, giving the game away. I went and sat by him and took a look at his arm.

"You're not doing anything in your present state," Gaara told him.

"Damn right you're not, Lee. Let us take care of this?" I implored only to feel, seconds later, sand swirl around my wrists and force them behind my back in mock handcuffs.

"Neither are you," Gaara said in his low voice.

"WHAT?!" I shouted. "Gaara, let go of me! Seriously, if you don't let go of me right now, I'll knock you and your god damn sand armor into _next week_."

He ignored me. "I've got this."

"You men and your egos," I sighed to Lee who smiled through his wincing. "Well, at least I can look after you, Lee... without the use of my hands... somehow," I tugged on my hands, trying to free them but the sand held tight.

"Gaara, do not let your guard down. He uses his bones to attack!" Lee yelled to Gaara as he paced forward to oppose Bone Freak. "He can launch them like you saw before and forces them to protrude from his body! He is able to control them all at will!"

"You're Gaara of the Desert. You wield sand, hence the name," Bone Freak stated matter-of-factly.

The sand poured from Gaara's gourd like a stream. He glared at Bone Freak whose bones were slowly being sucked back into his body.

"I'm so glad I didn't have any lunch," I muttered to Lee, cringing. He nodded and chortled.

Bone Freak began to push the bones from his fingers and Gaara spotted immediately, flinging sand out toward him. As the sand flew up to Bone Freak, he yelled, "Digital Shrapnel!" and shot bones at Gaara once more.

_He's not seriously trying that again, is he?_ I thought sardonically.

Sure enough, the sand came straight to Gaara's defense and Bone Freak was left dodging sand, having to pull off some pretty impressive taijutsu to do so.

"Gaara of the Desert? Rather a foolish nickname, isn't it?" Bone Freak stated as Gaara's attacks ceased a little. "You're nothing without that sand of yours!"

Gaara worked up his attacks once again and he growled, "Sand shower," just as Bone Freak looked up, only for his feet to be captured by Gaara's sand from underground.

"But as long as I have it, I can do anything. The only fool here is you. If I need more sand, I can easily use the earth we're standing on to make more," Gaara explained, as his sand wrapped around Bone Freak.

He had been feeding his sand underground the whole time.

He used his signature "sand burial" on Bone Freak. I was sure he'd been killed but only moments later, he resurfaced forcing his way out of the sand, parts of his bones visible beneath his skin, a whole set of teeth visible on one side of his face and black marks covering his body. The sight was truly disgusting.

Gaara created a sand tsunami and used his "giant sand burial" to trap him once more.

_I am so hot for him right now,_ I thought, watching him command the battle.

Suddenly, a monster, a horned mutant of the freak with the power to control his bones appeared and charged at Gaara.

I squirmed desperately. "GAARA, GAARA, MOVE! GET AWAY!" I screamed to him.

He grunted and began trying to catch Bone Freak with his sand. I continued to wriggle furiously, unable to become free myself of sand he'd used to stop me getting involved or hurt. I writhed so furiously, I felt something pop in my left wrist and I knew I'd sprained it.

Gaara threw up his sand shield yet somehow the mutant managed to get through it, hit Gaara and throw him through the air.

"Gaara!" I yelled, pulling desperately on the ties holding me to the ground. It was no use, I couldn't move. Gaara's attempts to remove me from the battle were working.

"Is that the best you can do with your ultimate defense? Is that all? I'm very disappointed," Bone Freak mutant snarled in Gaara's direction, as he got to his feet.

"He is not your only opponent!" Lee shouted, moving in from behind to attack Bone Freak. "I am here as well!" He launched an attack only to be sent flying as well.

"I'm tired of that sand. Very well, Gaara. You first. And then maybe I'll have your little girlfriend. She would make a twin set addition to my Lord's collection, would she not?" he said, smirking.

Suddenly, Bone Freak began to pull his _spine_ from his body.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I declared, wincing at the sight of him extracting his spine.

He threw his spine towards Gaara, who cushioned the blow with his sand. Then Bone Freak began to force a huge spear-like bone from his arm, stating that it would bore right through Gaara. Gaara merely glared before creating a huge life like sand version of Shukaku.

"Ultimate Defense: Shukaku's Shield!"

Bone Freak began attempting to bore through the shield only to find it crumbling away. Bone Freak then declared he would be one with Orochimaru and live on in his soul.

Gaara did not let this madness ensue for much longer. "Orochimaru's brainwashed you well, you sad little pawn." He began to create a whirlpool of sand with Bone Freak in the center. "I will bury you two hundred meters below the surface of the earth, under pressure so great you won't be able to move a finger, imprisoned there until the end of time." Bone Freak was submerged then.

The sand freed me and I ran to Gaara's side and clutched his hand. "Well done, sweetie!" I told him, beaming at him, wincing as my wrist gave a spasm of pain.

"Are you alright?" he asked, glancing down at my wrists. "I'm sorry about that."

"Just a little sprain, no big deal. You were incredible," I told him, grinning through the pain. Lee called over his praise.

Then...

"DANCE. BRACKEN DANCE."

Swords of bone began to protrude from the depths of the earth violently. As I looked down, I saw one come directly in between my feet and I did not have time to move.

_Wrong place, wrong time,_ I thought wryly as I felt the point of the bone pierce my skin, too fast for the sand shield, too quick for Gaara's eye, too swift for me to dodge.

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think's going to happen?! Remember, this is my own character! ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN BECAUSE I'M SO EVIL. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN.**

**I am currently crying at Chibi Gaara about having to watch and re-watch Lee and Gaara's fight with Kimimaro over and over again to get the speech completely right. And then I gave up.  
**

**ALSO PLEASE TELL ME WHEN YOU THINK THESE TWO LOVEBIRDS WILL GET THEIR TEENAGE SEXY TIME ON. IF AT ALL AFTER THIS CHAPTER. **

**REVIEW.**

**AND TELL ME. Please. :)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. __  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)_**

* * *

_Your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_.

_ These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real._

_- **Evanescence, My Immortal**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

Before the bone managed to create a deep wound, I felt Gaara's hand and a swirl of compacted sand catch my own hand pull me up into the air. Gaara had quickly created flying saucers of sand to lift us up into the air to safety, Lee on one and he and I on the other.

"Thank you, Gaara. You saved me again. These powers of yours are truly remarkable," Lee told him, gratitude etched in his tone.

"Not really, I'm merely able to make the sand do my bidding. It's second nature to me now." He sounded incredibly worn out.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, surveying him and reaching out to feel his pulse. He remained very still, watching me, my fingers brushing his neck lightly. His pulse was steady and he was perfectly fine, not a scratch on him due to that sand armor. He was just exhausted. "I'm really grateful to you for having saved my butt so many times but Gaara, if you dare try and hold me down and keep me out of a battle again, I'll-"

I was interrupted by a voice filled with hatred, hurt and anger. "I am not his pawn! He is the one, the only one who ever gave my life meaning!"

Bone Freak was back, that huge spear of bone in his hand pointing directly at Gaara's forehead. "But how could the likes of you ever understand that?!" he screamed, moving his spear forward. I wrapped my arms around Gaara instinctively from behind and closed my eyes.

Seconds later, I opened my eyes to see Bone Freak frozen. There was no life behind his pained eyes any longer, his hand no longer feeling the deadly weapon he had held in his right arm. Gaara and I sighed together and I buried my face into the crook of his neck.

"He is dead," Lee stated, his voice quivering in shock.

"Gaara," I whispered as I did the night we'd kissed so many weeks ago. I felt his body lean back into mine a little as he relaxed.

We descended then and took refuge behind a collection of trees. Gaara left his gourd by a tree and rested against the trunk, adjacent to where Lee was resting. I went to sit at Gaara's feet, still a little shaken up by seeing him so close to defeat.

"It was sheer luck. I should've been killed," Gaara uttered, still catching his breath, staring at his feet.

"No, it was not meant to be. My sensei has often said to me a good ninja always makes his own luck," Lee responded.

"That meddlesome mother hen?" Gaara asked.

I giggled just as Lee argued, "Gai-sensei is nothing of the sort! Yes, he stepped in but only that once and only because I was not yet strong enough. I am very grateful to you for having saved my life but I warn you, I will not abide anyone speaking ill of my sensei."

Gaara looked up then, catching my eye with a smoldering gaze, as if he was seeing right into my body again, reading my thoughts and hearing my feelings as he had done since we'd met. That gaze made my heart skip a beat and I wondered if he could hear it faltering.

"So you're another one, eh?" he said to Lee yet still looking at me. "You have someone in your life whom you honor and revere so much that every hurt inflicted upon them is inflicted upon you as well and the closer they are to you, the greater the pain. To feel so strongly for someone you would fight for them and die for them. You and Naruto Uzumaki have that in common. However, what if this person you honor and would even die for is not a virtuous person?"

"Impossible. Such a person would be unworthy of honor or respect," Lee argued, not yet realizing he was talking about Bone Freak and Orochimaru.

"No, perhaps the companionship of even an evil person is preferable to loneliness," Gaara responded and as he spoke, I wondered if that was not the only relationship he was discussing.

A squad of Leaf Shinobi appeared an hour or so later, ironically also naming themselves a "retrieval squad". They declared they were to take us back to the Leaf Village as the mission was over. They accompanied us back to the village and I tried to use my left hand as little as possible, wincing the few times as we ran. Gaara kept glancing at me every single time as if I was about to drop dead at any moment. They told us that Neji and Choji had both been retrieved and were in a critical state and Kiba and Shikamaru were injured too but not badly. Both would be fine thanks to Kankuro and Temari's help. There was no word on Naruto and Sasuke yet.

I remained hopeful and totally faithful in Naruto's ability to bring him home.

We arrived back to the Leaf Village and all three of us were railroaded to the hospital.

"I'm kind of excited," I said as we were ushered upstairs by three very agitated nurses.

"Why?" Gaara asked.

"I'll see my brother soon. I can't wait. I'm going to grovel something bad," I replied, smiling and clutching at my wrist. Gaara barely had a scratch on him but my wrist meant I had to be taken into hospital care. They separated Lee from us to tend to his injuries and stood Gaara and I in the corridor. They were very flustered.

"Too tough of a mission for _genin _and a couple of _chunin_," one muttered to the other who nodded vigorously as they twisted my wrist back and forth.

"Ow!" I cried as it panged furiously. Gaara gritted his teeth.

"How did you do this?" the nurse asked, probing my entire forearm.

"I was being... held back by someone so I didn't get injured," I replied, avoiding Gaara's eye.

"Kinda backfired a little, huh?" the nurse commented, giving me a little smile.

"Is she going to be okay?" Gaara asked, sounding a little flustered himself. I'd never seen him like this before. He looked dishevelled to say the least as he stared the nurse full on in the face.

She blushed a little at his fiery gaze and probably his good looks and nodded. "She'll be fine. If you'll just take a seat on the bed in that room, we'll get a medical nin to you to heal your wrist and then you'll need a debriefing on the mission is what I'm told."

"Can I go with her?" Gaara asked, his arms folded, his intimidating sea foam eyes looking as dark as they had when we met. She nodded once again, speechless.

We walked into the private room and I sat on the bed, sighing. "Why did you stop me battling?"

He glared at me now.

"You know if you keep your arms folded forever, one day they'll stay like that and you'll be stuck looking grumpy forever," I pointed out flippantly, looking around the pristine room.

"Because I didn't want you to get hurt," he replied as stoic as ever.

"I can take care of myself," I retorted, putting a little too much pressure on my left wrist and flinching.

"Not when you're emotionally involved with something," he said, staring out of the window now.

"What do you mean?" I asked, a little taken aback and insulted.

"You. You feel things. Your way of the shinobi isn't to bottle things up but to feel your emotions. Like with me after the Chunin exams. Your resolve faltered. You had the chance to kill me but at the last minute, your emotions got in the way and I nearly killed you. I wouldn't allow you to risk getting hurt, _seriously _hurt, just to beat some monster to get to your brother," he explained, his tone apathetic.

I stuck my tongue out at him, just as a medical nin came in the room carrying a clipboard.

"Hello, Aimi," she greeted me, reaching for my wrist. She healed it within no time at all and I hopped off the bed.

"Can I go now?" I asked brightly, looking forward to going hunting down my brother's room.

"You'll have to wait. There's someone who needs to see you," she replied and gestured toward the door as Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru entered.

"Hey, guys! I thought you might be Sasuke or Naruto," I greeted them cheerfully, only to realize something was very wrong with their faces. "Where are they anyway?"

They were both silent and Shikamaru had tear tracks down his face. Kakashi wore an unreadable expression.

"They're here, aren't they?" I asked, my voice breaking as I realized I'd been stupid, careless, too trusting, too naïve.

"Naruto's being patched up as we speak," Kakashi stated.

"And Sasuke?"

He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Aimi."

The loneliness, the feeling of failure and the overwhelming gut-wrenching pain washed over me like an unstoppable tsunami.

Before I knew it, the ceiling was being propelled forward by an unknown force, the air catching in my throat and the world.

Faded.

To.

Black.

**Gaara's POV**

She had been asleep for three days. I sat by her bedside day and night, waiting for her. Various people drifted in and out through the sliding door but it was only I who stayed. I only left to go to the bathroom. Temari brought me a fresh change of clothes everyday but I did not leave her. I would not leave her.

Word got through from Shikamaru to Temari to me that Naruto was killing himself with the guilt, swearing to Sakura he wouldn't give up and urging anyone who would listen to tell Aimi the same, to tell Aimi he was sorry. I believed him.

She whispered sometimes during the night and she cried in her sleep, whimpering Sasuke's name, begging him to come home. I felt the pieces of my heart break as her world fell apart.

"Can't you heal her concussion or something, Lady Tsunade? Isn't it dangerous?" Sakura had whispered over Aimi's bed the day the Hokage came to see her, accompanied by Shikamaru and Temari.

"No. It's only mild and Aimi has to deal with the pain herself sometimes or she'll grow resistant to healing," she had explained, clearly meaning more than just physically.

"I just worry for her. Wasn't she in a mental hospital when it all happened with her... clan?" Sakura asked, her voice shaking as she watched her team mate sob Sasuke's name once more in her sleep.

The Hokage nodded gravely. "She's a lot stronger now though, I am told. I suspect the emotional pain of it all was too much for her body to handle so it shut down to preserve itself. The body does strange things in order to protect itself. She'll wake up soon enough and how she'll be then apart from physical healthy is totally uncertain. It's up to her. When she was in that hospital as a child Sasuke came to see her every day." She looked at me then, watching me watching Aimi. "I'm glad she has someone else she can rely on."

Temari came most of the time, Kankuro usually with her unless he was with Kiba. They'd formed a very close friendship after their battle. I could see in Temari's eyes how fond she'd become of Aimi and as she sat next to me, listening to the Hokage's words, she beamed at me.

Suddenly, Aimi whispered a name other than Sasuke's. It was mine.

"Gaara."

Everyone's eyes shot to Aimi's face, checking that they'd heard right.

I waited on the edge of my seat and then I heard it again, louder this time.

"Gaara. Please- please let me... please... don't leave..."

Everyone was deadly silent apart from the unconscious girl, staring between Aimi and I.

"Not you too... I-I need.. you."

I watched her intently for any sight of waking, my heart elated at her unconscious pleas, but I found only distress. I reached forward for her hand and squeezed it lightly. At my touch, she seemed to settle a little. Unless, I was imagining it.

"Well, well, Gaara. I didn't know you had a tender side," Temari teased suggestively, gesturing to my hand in Aimi's. I didn't respond.

Another day passed and Aimi began to move more, rolling and pleading with someone invisible to us, someone in her mind. Temari brought me bottled water and food and I stayed watching her, watching the IV feed her, watching her eyelids flicker a little whenever it got bad again and wishing desperately I could do something. I would grunt and bite my lip when that happened and Temari's expression grew worried as she watched my frustration flare up.

"No! Come back! We'll do it together! I'll do anything just come back to me!"

"Don't leave me! I can't do this on my own!"

"I'm begging you... I never meant for-"

"Don't let it go black again."

"Make it go away. Someone make it go away."

On the evening of the last day, things changed, just as the nurse came in to check on her. She had said my name again that morning just as I returned from the bathroom. Temari, Sakura and I were all sat by her bedside waiting. Sakura did not know either of us well but made an effort for the sake of her friend and I respected her for that.

Aimi began to stir as the nurse checked over her heart rate and the sunset spilled through her window.

"She's waking up!" the nurse called to a passing colleague in the corridor. "Get Lady Tsunade!"

I kept calm and waited. Aimi rolled over in her bed to face Temari, Sakura and I and opened her hazel eyes, the irises like a shattered stained glass window, shards of chocolate and midnight green. The only difference in those eyes was that they were tainted with sorrow.

"Where- where I am?" she asked, looking disorientated. "Gaara?" She said my name exactly as she had this morning. "Temari? Sakura?"

"You're in the hospital, sweetie. You had a fall," Temari explained, leaning forward and taking her hand.

"What happened to me?"

"You had some pretty bad news, honey and you fainted. You hit your head and suffered mild concussion," the nurse explained in a sad voice, reluctant to explain that Aimi no longer had any family left.

She sat up slowly, cautiously and then her eyes glazed over, filling with tears. "Sasuke," she whispered as the tears spilled over. "Is- is Naruto Uzumaki okay?" she asked the nurse.

_Always thinking of others, _I thought wryly.

"He's going to be just fine," the nurse promised. "You, however, will need a _lot_ of rest."

Just then, the Hokage entered, her commanding presence befalling the room like the eye of the storm.

"Nice to meet you, Aimi," she greeted, standing at the foot of the bed. "You have some very good friends here."

Aimi nodded. She gave a watery smile to the three of us. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. I know."

"As you know, your brother left the Leaf Village almost a week ago now to join Orochimaru. I know you've been away to the Sand Village but I must ask, did he give you any sign he was leaving?"

"No," Aimi responded sadly, shaking her head. "I knew he wanted to get stronger to fight Itachi but I never imagined - I never thought he'd go to these lengths. But he had that curse mark! Do you know about that?!"

Tsunade hushed her. "Calm down, Aimi. You've got a concussion, you need to rest and not get worked up. Yes, we know about Orochimaru's curse mark. Look, I have to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"No matter what happens, you must not go looking for Sasuke right now. I've tried to explain the same to Naruto and managed to divert his attention to training and getting stronger for the sake of retrieving him in the future but I will be honest with you because you're a smart girl - do not go after your brother right now. He chose to leave and I would not rule out Orochimaru using Sasuke as bait to get to you too. You must stay strong and allow your friends, like these kind people who have chosen to stay by your bedside to rally around you."

"No disrespect, ma'am but I love my brother. I want him to come home," Aimi said, no hint of defiance in her tone but rather shades of longing. That sorrow never left her voice.

"Then do as Naruto is doing. Become stronger," Tsunade replied. "You are an asset to this village, Aimi Uchiha. Uphold your family's honor."

"That was always the plan, Lady Tsunade. For me, at least. I thought it was Sasuke's too." Aimi was clearly trying to fight desperately against tears, her voice quivering.

"I'm giving you a three week reprieve from missions to get over all this," Tsunade stated, looking the girl in the bed straight in the face. "After that, you must be strong. Our friends here from the Sand village will also be staying for three weeks and helping out at the Academy."

Aimi nodded as if receiving orders.

At the moment, Aimi's friend Shikamaru entered the room and took a shaky step towards Aimi. Upon seeing her sat up in bed, he gave her a watery smile. "Aimi?" he whispered weakly.

She held her arms out, beckoning him into a hug. He encircled his arms around her and began to sob dryly.

"I'm so sorry. I tried to bring him back, I really did."

She hushed him and rubbed his back, being incredibly strong, not giving away any sense of pain to the boy with the dark ponytail. "I know, sweetie. It's okay. You did your best and that's all I can ask for. Look at you, crying. It's alright, I promise. I'm going to be fine. I've got good friends and at least now I don't have to have Grumpy Butt around being all bossy with me. It's fine, sweetie," she soothed, lilting the words like a lullaby to him.

The Hokage watched with sad eyes, eyes that mirrored mine as Aimi put on such a brave front for her friend.

"Anyway, go to Naruto. Tell him I'm not mad at him and I don't blame him. Thank him for me and give him a hug," she instructed Shikamaru, giving him a warm smile.

"I have to go hug Naruto? What a drag," he complained, half mocking, half serious. Aimi laughed however and I knew that was the desired intent as Shikamaru exited.

"I have to go now," Tsunade said, heading for the door before turning back and saying, "Aimi? It really was a pleasure to meet you," and exiting.

Aimi smiled at her before the smile distorted on her features, her lips quivering, eyes turning sour and sorrowful with the pain. She began to cry, a force that tugged on the strings of my heart so strongly that all I wanted to do was hug her.

I was beaten by Sakura who leapt up to Aimi's aid, holding her. "I miss him already," Aimi wept into Sakura's chest. "How can I go back to that apartment knowing he's never coming back?"

"You're not going to," Temari said sternly. "You're going to come and stay with us for two weeks and then you're going to move back in and Sakura's going to stay with you."

"I am?" Sakura asked tentatively, a little taken aback by being addressed by Temari.

"Yes, you are. Like the Hokage says, we must rally around her now. She needs us."

Sakura nodded the affirmative and after calming Aimi down, said something about needing to go and check on Naruto because he'd feel lonely without the attention. She also wanted to see his hug with Shikamaru.

Once she'd left, Aimi turned to us, sniffed and said, "Did she stay long? How long've you all been here?"

"Sakura's been a few times, I come most of the time all day, usually with Kankuro. But Gaara's been here every day, overnight, morning, noon and evening. He's only left to go to the bathroom and eat," Temari explained. I was a little disgruntled at her for telling Aimi. I didn't want her to know how fast my feelings for her were growing.

"Really?" Aimi asked, perking up a little upon hearing this news, looking at me with traces of affection in her features. "You big wuss. Naruto's talk after the Chunin exams has made you go soft, you big baby. I'm fine."

_It wasn't Naruto who made me go soft_, I almost said. _It was you._

"You'll be out by tomorrow, I think," Temari told her. "Anyway, I have to go. Now you're awake, I can go check Kankuro hasn't burned our temporary apartment down." She grinned and left with that.

Silence descended upon the hospital room and I leaned forward, clasping my hands together under my chin, eyes locking with Aimi.

"You've been here all this time?" she asked meekly, her voice growing feeble again. She had no make-up on and she was dressed in a hospital gown but she was still so pretty.

"Yes." I didn't elaborate. I felt no need to.

"Gaara, come closer. There's something I need to tell you."

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think she's going to tell him?! REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW. Reviews are a big part of my motivation to keep writing.**


	12. Chapter 12

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. I own Kiba's Golden Ticket technically though. But even the Golden Ticket was Roald Dahl. Dayum.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language. (I blame Naruto)_**

* * *

_Would you stay now and let me hold you?_

_But if I kiss you, will your mouth read this true?_

_Darling, how I miss you._

_- **Ed Sheeran, Little Bird**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

"I'm scared, Gaara. I'm really scared," I admitted, watching his response. His face remained as indifferent as ever but his eyes showed some highlights of concern in the emerald.

"Why?" he whispered, his rasping voice low and quiet.

"When I was younger, I was in a mental hospital when... when _that _happened because I lost it, I couldn't deal with. I couldn't handle the pain because I was too weak. And I'm so scared it's happening again. Everything's so dark," I explained, trying to fight back the tears.

"You're not a child anymore. You're strong and you have your purpose, your reason to exist," he told me.

He remembered? "What do you mean purpose?"

"You said you wanted to rise above all of this and make your family proud of you. I remember," he stated, his face steady, unfazed.

I nodded.

"You can do that now. You have friends and you have my brother and sister to rely on... and me."

"I have you?" I asked, surprised at his uncharacteristic expression of affection.

"Just how you were there to save me from myself, to save me from my loneliness, I will try to do the same for you," he vowed, completely unabashed, his voice almost indifferent as he stared me down. "I won't let you fall and I won't let you lose sight of who you are. I promise."

I felt the tears on my face before I realized what was happening and I reached out to fling my arms around his neck. "Thank you," I sniffed, his cool skin awakening in me that sense of purpose he had talked about.

I could live for so many more reasons than my brother. I could live to prove myself, for my friends, to train myself up to bring Sasuke home.

I saw now the crossroads I was at in my mind, watching Sasuke walk into the darkness from behind. I could follow or I could walk a different path, the one Naruto walked down with glee and success. I could see Gaara at the start of the path, some few feet down it. I could see him turning back, waiting for me, holding out a hand.

And I would take it and go with him.

"I feel like I'm going to be so lonely. I don't know how to be without him. I've always relied on him to protect me," I confessed to him as I let him go, immediately feeling an urge for that closeness once again.

"We won't let you feel lonely. Temari hasn't really gone to see if Kankuro's burned down the apartment. She's gone to fix up your room. She'd die before she let you end up lonely. You've got so many friends and you're stronger than you think. You're going to learn how to live without him. That's what you've been doing this past month, right?" he said, elaborating properly for the first time since I'd awoken.

I nodded. I would trust him. I would trust my friends.

When I closed my eyes to fall asleep, Gaara was sat there. When I awoke, he was still sat there in the exact same position, Temari and Kankuro next to him, carrying two large bags.

"You've been asleep a long time, Aims," Kankuro commented, sitting on the edge of my bed.

I sat up. "What're the bags for?"

"I hope you don't mind but your sensei gave us a spare key to your apartment so we went to pack up your stuff. You're coming home with us," Temari explained.

"I am?" I asked, sitting up, feeling brighter. I truly felt a little warmer inside knowing that for three weeks, my home would be with the sand siblings. That numbed the pain a little.

They took me home early that afternoon to the apparent apartment they'd stayed in during the Chunin exams. It was much simpler than their one back in the Sand village but much the same layout with four bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room with a balcony. Kankuro immediately went to perch on the balcony and Temari switched on the television.

"Oh, by the way, Aimi, that guy Shikamaru said he was coming over later with a few of your friends to cheer you up," Temari remarked, sitting cross legged on the floor and polishing her fan. I nodded and sat on the sofa. Gaara removed his gourd and came to sit by me pretending to watch television. I could see him watching me out of the corner of his eye as if I was about to burst into tears at any moment.

I tried not to think about him. I tried to think how stupid he was and how disappointed our mother would have been. Mikoto Uchiha. How would she feel knowing that her eldest son had defected to the Akatsuki and her younger son to Orochimaru? How would she feel if her only daughter followed him? Or if her only daughter gave up and let the depression get her?

I wouldn't disrespect her memory by allowing the darkness or the loneliness to take me. I would stand tall and rely on my friends to get me through this. I wouldn't fall into the curse of our name.

Kiba, Shikamaru and Lee all arrived later that afternoon with huge smiles and a few presents in a huge trash bag. Akamaru leapt up into my lap the second his master entered the room and went on to lick my face very excitedly.

"I think he missed you," Kiba commented. "He's not seen you for a while."

"I missed him too," I replied, embracing the little white puppy warmly. He barked excitedly. He then proceeded to wander up to Gaara and sniff him warily.

"What's he doing?" I giggled, amused as Gaara's expression went from apathetic to perplexed.

"He's sensing his chakra. He didn't like Gaara very much during the Chunin exams because he felt it was kinda dark but we'll see how he feels about it now. I'm surprised he got so close to you," Kiba said, a little awkward about addressing Gaara directly.

Akamaru finished his inspection of Gaara and gave a cheerful woof as his conclusion, licking Gaara's hand and hopping down to join Kiba.

"Look, we brought you some stuff. It was a drag but we figured you could do with some cheering up," Shikamaru said, sitting on the floor next Temari. I went to sit by him, Lee taking my place and Kiba on the other. Shikamaru pulled the first present out of the trash bag.

"This is from Ino, Choji, Asuma and me," he explained as I opened it.

It was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a huge spectrum of colors and scents. It did not look like they belonged in a trash bag.

"You and Choji wrapped this, didn't you?" I guessed, grinning at him.

"You got it," he confirmed.

"Hmm. Too lazy to wrap it, were we, crybaby?" Temari taunted.

Shikamaru nodded but muttered, "Jeez, women are troublesome. You're all so ungrateful."

"No, no, I love them, Shikamaru, thank you. How is Choji? How's Neji?" I asked, handing the flowers to Temari who went to put them in a vase.

"Choji and Neji will both be fine which I'm glad about," Shikamaru told me.

"So glad, in fact that he bawled like a baby when he found out they would be," Temari called from the kitchen over the sound of a running faucet.

"Hey, shut up! Remember who actually came out of the Chunin exams an actual chunin!" Shikamaru responded, clearly aggravated.

"You in distress, Shikamaru? Need me to come and rescue you again?" she responded, toying with him. He grunted and everyone in the room laughed. Gaara even smiled a little.

The next present was from Kiba, Hinata and Shino. It was a piece of paper with the words "Golden Ticket" written on it in large letters.

"Wh-what is it?" I asked, turning it over as Temari re-entered the room and sat back down by her fan and Shikamaru.

"It's a golden ticket to walk Akamaru whenever you like," Kiba replied, grinning. "Dogs are supposed to bring people happiness. I heard somewhere that they make people with depression walk them to cheer them up. Anyway, Akamaru likes you and I could come with you or not if you'd like."

"Sounds awesome! Thanks, Kiba!" I said, pouncing on him with a huge hug. He hugged back and chuckled as I beamed, feeling lighter than I had in a long time.

"And_ this_, is from Tenten, Neji and I," Lee said, brandishing a wrapped gift in my direction. I leaned over, took it from him and unwrapped it. It was a selection of brightly colored bath bombs. "It's so you can relax. Tenten got them from her mother's shop but I call them…" and he stood up, excitement radiating off him totally contrasting Gaara who sat next to Lee, "THE HIDDEN LEAF'S EXPLOSION OF YOUTH!"

Everyone stifled a laugh and I got up and gave Lee a hug. "Tell them thank you and tell Neji I hope he gets well soon and I'm sorry he had to risk his life for the sake of my stupid brother."

"Anyway, open our presents!" Kankuro demanded, thrusting another two in my direction one medium sized and rectangular, the other flat and square. I opened the flat one first and found a blank CD.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, read the writing!" Kankuro urged, getting excited.

Scrawled on the blank CD in what was clearly Kankuro's handwriting was "Florence and the Machine: Dog Days are Over".

"You got me this?" I inquired, blushing and grinning slyly at the same time. Kankuro and Temari nodded, smirking. I glanced at Gaara who held my gaze steady, giving away no recognition that it was about that night we'd danced.

"What's this other one?" I said going to open it.

"Open that one later. It's from me," Gaara advised, speaking properly for the first time since we'd arrived home.

I didn't question him. I knew he was private and I knew it wasn't fair to open it with everyone around so I picked it up and placed it on the coffee table.

For the rest of the afternoon, we watched TV and Temari and Shikamaru squabbled over the remote - ("woman, you are so troublesome!") - and I squirmed in anticipation waiting to open the present from Gaara. Finally, everyone dispersed, promising to return soon and Kankuro took Lee's place on the sofa.

"Gaara, can I open this now?" I asked, already going to unwrap it. He nodded in any sense and I found a cardboard box. I opened it with care, feeling three pairs of eyes on me.

Within the box, I found a small, battered teddy bear with kind eyes and a limp body. I lifted it out carefully and surveyed it, holding it lovingly.

"He's gorgeous," I whispered, my voice exuding awe.

"Gaara, you gave her...?" Temari asked, her eyes wide as she saw the stuffed animal in my hands.

I realized then that this was not your average bear.

"Where's he from?" I asked, expecting to hear the name of some generic toy store.

"My childhood," Gaara rasped, his eyes trained on the bear. "He was my only friend when I had no one... when I was alone... and he helped to alleviate my loneliness a little. This is for you... so you know you're not alone."

"You- you really did that for me?" I asked, surprised. I never realized I meant that much to him.

He nodded once again, unabashed, his arms folded, eyes fixed on me. I held the stuffed animal close to me and grinned.

"Thank you." I excused myself and went to my bedroom, putting the teddy bear on my bed. Overcome with emotion that I felt I could no longer handle, I checked no one was watching, that they were all too busy watching the television and laughing about Shikamaru bearing flowers and I slipped out of the apartment.

Night had befallen the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a deep depression darkening the skies, the clouds hysterically pouring their grief onto the population below. It was like the sky knew, knew that the world was darker since Sasuke had left.

I had managed to slip out seemingly unnoticed and I headed down the main boulevard. It was mostly deserted apart from folk running around using their clothes for shelter over their heads. A cluster of friends ran past me shrieking with delight, the excitement of a big rainstorm thrilling their young bones like they had not a care in the world. A woman outside the grocery store packing up caught my eye and glared furiously at me. She looked familiar yet I could not pinpoint from where. I sensed a great dread at the sight of her, like she had been pulled directly from my nightmares.

I walked on into the rainfall, now hitting the ground with such force that upon contact with my skin, it began to hurt. I hadn't realized where I was going until I got there, to the old Uchiha estate where it happened.

I remembered days in the sun being tickled incessantly by Itachi as I rolled on the ground, giggling. I remembered days when my father taught Sasuke the fireball jutsu that I had already learned and I danced around the courtyard after a butterfly. I remembered sparring with Sasuke constantly and winning. I remembered sitting on the balcony with mother as she told me I was special, told me how special it was for one so young to have mastered the Sharingan. I remembered sucking my thumb and holding Sasuke close a night when an array of fireworks exploded across the sky and we were happy.

And then as I realized this wasn't where the piercing pain in my gut was coming from, I left before my body took me inside the derelict building. I walked towards the bridge over the hot springs knowing just what lay ahead. I would go home and pack and then I would leave and go anywhere.

I would run under the sun, one with the wind and I would dance in the rain until the pain dissipated. I would not think, I would not interact with anyone. Maybe I'd find Sasuke and tell him he didn't have to come home, that it was okay. But that he had to stay with me. I didn't know how to exist without his self-confident glare or his, "come on, Aimi, we don't need these losers."

The rain cascaded from the sky, following the path of my tears down my face and I walked quickly, staring at the ground as I planned my departure. I could not stay here. There was too much confusion left in this village.

Sasuke. Mom. Dad. Itachi. Naruto. Sakura. Kakashi-sensei.

And Gaara.

The pain became overwhelming as I neared the bridge and I looked ahead, desperate to find some solace in what I saw that would subdue the pain.

I saw a dark silhouette on the bridge, arms folded, the gourd secured to his back as always. As I got closer, I noticed a furious glare in his sea foam eyes, his brow furrowed as he watched me. His stance was dangerous.

I did not say anything or show any recognition as I attempted to pass him. As I did, I felt a hand grab my wrist.

He did not turn to me. He growled, "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere, everywhere. I can't- I can't. I need to get out. The pain is too much," I choked out. "I feel like I'm drowning and I need air. I need to run. I need to survive and I can't in this fucking hellhole."

He did not flinch as I cursed. He didn't even say a thing.

I felt the pain and the anger boil up inside of me and I rounded on him, facing his side. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID I FUCKING HATE THIS HELLHOLE. I'M GOING TO DIE IF I STAY HERE. I'LL END UP EXACTLY LIKE YOU DID!" I screamed at him through the tears. He didn't respond. His jaw was locked and he still refused to look at me. "I'm LOSING it. You said you wouldn't let me fall. Well, I'm falling and you're just stood there, NOT GIVING A SHIT. HOW ABOUT GIVING A SHIT NOW?! COULD YOU MAYBE MANAGE THAT? NO?! TYPICAL FUCKING GAARA! DIDN'T FUCKING THINK SO!"

I began to pant once I'd finished screaming at him. He remained frozen.

I tugged my wrist out of his grasp and began to stalk off, planning to grab my stuff from mine and Sasuke's apartment and to hightail out of this village where no one gave a shit about me.

As I did, over the roar of the rain, I heard a low rasping voice.

"Stay."

"What?" I asked, incredulous, turning to see him facing me now, for once not with his arms folded but by his sides. His eyes were mesmerizing as he held my gaze, the crimson spikes of his hair saturated to an auburn color.

"Stay. Stay with me."

* * *

**Author's Note: DO YOU THINK SHE SHOULD STAY WITH GAARA? OR SHOULD SHE GO GET SASUKE? Review and let me know!  
**

**Just a heads up, I won't be posting tomorrow night, so expect an update Wednesday night at around 10pm GMT. **

**Until then, REVIEW.**

** Or I'll steal Gaara, Shikamaru and Kiba and never give them back. Or have Aimi go and be best friends with Orochimaru.**


	13. Chapter 13

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto._ _I own a Blackberry. I know, my life is a fiasco and a sham.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

* * *

_Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over_

_But had me believing it was always something that I'd done_

_But I don't wanna live that way_

_Reading into every word you say_

_- **Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

"You want me t-to stay?" I stuttered, shocked as I remembered all the times I'd begged him to do the same. The nights on the rooftop where I fell asleep by his side, the day my brother and I had fought him only to be defeated and rescued by Naruto. I remembered the blood trickling in between his eyes and down his nose, just before he'd left. "Not her", he had said.

"I want you to stay," he confirmed, speaking a little louder than usual over the rain. "I know I'm not your brother and I know sometimes -" he paused then, grunting in frustration as he failed to finish his sentence, his fists clenched at his side. "Would you just stay? Temari, Kankuro... Naruto... and me. I- I feel very... protective over you. I feel... I feel for you... a lot. A lot more than I would like to. I can't let you leave. I couldn't handle you leaving. It would- it would hurt. Pain. All those feelings you banished would come back. I know it's selfish but I want you to stay because you make it go away. You make me... you make me happy. So just- just stay."

"But I'm in so much pain. I'm not bleeding but it hurts a lot," I admitted, my body clenching in on itself as I felt the urge to double over and hold my stomach, to protect myself from the hurt. Tears fell from my eyes and mixed with the rain still sheeting from the sky.

"I'll - I'll take care of you," he vowed, looking up to the sky and gritting his teeth in an effort to gather the courage to speak. "I promise I'll take care of you. I want to make it go away. I'll make it go away."

It was the look in his eyes that did it when he gazed at me next. It wasn't the pity or the sadness or the timidity.

It was the affection I saw there as he looked at me, the drowned rat.

I ran at him and leapt into his arms, wrapping my bare legs around his waist, our drenched clothes sticking together as he held my slippery bare thighs in a vice grip, holding me to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him with every inch of fire I could muster from my breaking heart.

His lips moved in perfect synchronization to mine, as they had the night we danced. I gripped him like a life jacket as we kissed under the throngs of water that the sky pelted down on us. His tongue grazed my bottom lip for permission as they had the last time. Like the last time, I granted it.

Our kisses became frantic, the passion between us blazing despite the rain. I couldn't stop the tears. "My heart feels like it's going to break," I told him in between flurried kisses, my fingernails digging into his neck in an attempt to hold him to me, to make sure he couldn't leave me like everyone else did.

"I understand the pain. I understand the loneliness," he said, his lips whispering against my skin eliciting a shiver down my already frozen spine, cold from the rain. "I swear to take care of you. I may be a monster but I'm not a liar."

I remembered those words, a distant memory on the rooftop as I started to trust him. I would trust him now, I'd trust him to take the cracks in my heart and to fix them.

_The only way to fix a broken heart is love_. That's what he told me his uncle had said once when he'd opened up to me one day in the Village hidden in the Sand.

He'd fix it. I trusted him.

He shifted me in his arms and held me bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck and I allowed him to carry me back the way we'd come, droplets of water from the hair coming down over his eyes falling on me. I snuggled into his chest and allowed the beat of his heart to soothe me.

Gaara was alive.

He didn't speak or try to ask me why I'd been so stupid as to attempt to run away. He didn't shout at me or judge me. He merely kept characteristically silent and held me in his arms as he walked, angling me away from the rain. He bent his head down to the arm wrapped around his neck and gave it a subtle kiss as he carried me along the deserted streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. The rumble of thunder, the relentless sound of the rain drenching the village and the pumping of Gaara's heart were a therapy to me, dulling the pain.

"Gaara?"

He looked down at me then, his hair flopping over his face. He truly was stunning. I noticed in him something I'd only ever seen before in Sasuke and Naruto. It wasn't arrogance, Gaara was far too insecure about who he was for that. But it was a sense of purpose he had. In this case, his sense of purpose to take me home... and take care of me? I hoped so.

"I need you," I whispered, allowing his beating heart to sing me to sleep.

**Gaara's POV**

I opened the door gingerly, shifting Aimi in my arms and opening the door to the apartment we'd stayed in during the Chunin exams.

I knew the pain she was feeling like the back of my hand. I knew the loneliness. I remembered so many nights walking the streets of the Sand village as a child with no one. No one wanted me. No one needed me. I had wondered what I was.

Yashamaru had told me only one thing could cure a wounded heart and it was love. Every look she had ever given me was tender, every touch was soft. Even from the beginning when I'd told her I was going to kill her, she wasn't like the others. She never ran away, she'd asked me to stay more times than I could remember and she trusted me with such idiocy, I had felt wanted for the first time in ten years. I would protect the girl who brought me salvation with my life. I would have laid down my life to feel her kiss, her smile and her trust spill through me once more.

Temari and Kankuro ran to the front door, anxiously hoping I'd brought her home. They had wanted to accompany me in going getting her but I told them I could do it- I knew three people would be too much for her. She had to come home of her own accord.

Temari's eyes softened as she caught sight of me, dripping wet with Aimi in my arms. "Oh, Aimi," she murmured, pushing her hair out of her face while she slept.

"She's so tired," I murmured, my tone laced with concern as I stared down at her peaceful face. I could not have been more tied to her for everything she had done for me if I tried.

"She needs rest," Kankuro stated.

"She needs to get out of those clothes or she'll catch a cold," Temari said, taking on her motherly role. "Where was she?"

"Heading out of the village. She felt alone. Like no one was there for her, like no one cared. Everyone was just leaving her and betraying her," I responded, holding Aimi closer to me in an attempt to shelter her from the pain, the pain I understood more than anything.

Temari gave me a sympathetic look, watching me gaze at the girl in my arms. "You know how she feels, don't you?"

I nodded.

"Give her here, Gaara. I'll change her into some pyjamas and get her tucked up in," Temari said, reaching out for Aimi. "I'll take care of her for you."

I handed her body over gently, feeling empty the moment she'd gone. Carrying her, holding her life force in my arms had given me such a purpose, knowing I had someone to protect, knowing that was my reason to exist. Her and her big shattered hazel doe eyes and her long legs. "Be careful with her."

Temari nodded and carried her to the spare room, leaving Kankuro and I in the hall. He smirked at me with a knowing look in his eye.

"So, you and Aimi, huh?" he asked, winking at me with that stupid face paint on.

"Shut up," I told him in a tone that implied his idiocy all over. I went to my room to get changed and dry off but he followed me, his steps heavy and overbearing. "Kankuro, get out."

"I'm just pleased for you. I could've seen this coming a mile off," he uttered as I took my gourd off.

"Great, now get out," I ordered. He did so, taken aback by my bluntness. Now after seeing Aimi falling apart like that wasn't the time to tease me. I got changed into a big white t-shirt with the Land of Wind emblem emblazoned on the back and tracksuit pants and went into the living room where Kankuro sat watching trashy Saturday night TV.

"So, how did it happen?" Kankuro asked, his tongue practically hanging out.

"She kissed me when I asked her to stay," I replied, trying to sound uninterested.

"You asked her to stay? Was it the first time you kissed?" he inquired, practically begging for information. He sounded shocked at the thought of me asking someone to stay with me. I'd never needed anyone. Until now.

"Yes. Then, no."

"When was the first time?" God, he was desperate. Or just that into living vicariously.

"The night of the dance." I tried to keep my eyes focused on the television as I replied to him shortly warn him off asking me more questions. It was no use; he knew I wasn't to be feared anymore. He knew I wasn't dangerous.

"I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you that night! No one dances like that unless they want to make babies. I'm happy for you, bro," he said. "She's going to be a handful now though when she's been through this much."

"I know." I didn't care if she was a handful. She'd taken me into her life when I'd been a killer, psychotic with loneliness. She took me care of me monster or not. I would try to heal her heartbreak the same way she'd healed mine.

Temari came in at the moment, a little flustered. "She's fine. She's cuddled up to that stuffed animal you gave her, Gaara and she's fast asleep."

I nodded. The thought of her holding the teddy bear, the thing that had been there when no one else was, made me warm inside. As the night drew on, my siblings dispersed to their separate rooms, bidding me a good night. Usually, the loneliness drew in at this point but tonight, it was different.

I didn't go and check in on her; I didn't want to be THAT guy, but knowing she was safe calmed me and I spent the night revisiting memories. For example, the first time I saw her face and I had thought that she was so beautiful; she was a menace to my existence, trying to distract me from my purpose. And the time she sat next to me in the exam and I tried not to kill her. I thought of the first time I saw her fight and I felt threatened by her and in awe of the way her eyes glistened and her hair rippled out behind her.

I remembered the first night on the rooftop, the second night, every night she fell asleep by my side. I remembered fantasizing about being sheathed inside of her and dancing with her. I remembered all the times she'd asked me to stay and the night we kissed. I saw the day my sand leapt to her defense and I had walked away, too afraid to admit I had feelings for her or for anyone else, or that she was changing me, changing who I was. I remembered when I had sprained her wrist accidentally trying to keep her safe and saving her from being skewered. I saw in my mind's eye the moment she knew Sasuke was never coming back and she fainted, the moment she whispered my name and the way she felt in my arms as her lips caressed mine on the bridge, like all my life I had been waiting for that moment.

The tears fell before I recognized what they were and then I was crying uncontrollably, overwhelmed by emotion. How I felt for her frightened me, it was an alien emotion and I didn't understand it but it was so beautiful, it was so strange. And I was so angry at the world for doing this to such a person as Aimi after doing it to me. Why was this world such an unfair place? I hadn't cried like this since I was a child and as I sat there in the dark in the living room, I felt the kingdom of childhood return.

Undoubtedly, the pain of loneliness had scalded me indefinitely but I remembered the feeling of love, the feeling of needing to protect someone precious to me. I _had_ felt that for Yashamaru and Temari and Kankuro and it had faded. Slowly, since Aimi and Naruto had altered my purpose, those feelings for my siblings returned and now, I'd finally found someone precious to me.

It was all coming back to me.

I wanted to protect those close to me and the things that were important to me. I'd give my life to stop them suffering.

Morning broke an hour or so after the rain and the tears subsided. They were neither fully happy nor fully sad but they were real.

I took a long, hot shower, allowing the billowing steam to relieve any tension and got changed slowly, trying to pass the time. Then, I retired to the living room and awaited my siblings or Aimi. She was usually up last.

Temari entered first, fully dressed after having a quick shower herself. She grumbled about the rain keeping her up all night- ("You'd never get that in the Sand!) - and she proceeded to make a breakfast of miso soup, nori and steamed rice.

"Temari?" I called, walking into the kitchen and seeing her sweat over the stove, bustling around the kitchen.

"Yes, Gaara?" she asked, exasperated yet patient.

I watched as she cooked for our family as I had watched her stray from battle and recently as she had honed in on peace and bringing me back into the family, giving me a place in this world. I felt a strange affection to her. Last night's epiphany had truly warmed something in my soul and I realized just how much she and Kankuro truly did mean to me.

"Thank you," I told her.

"What for?" she asked, turning away from the stove, looking puzzled.

"For everything," I said without any particular defined emotion, before exiting.

Kankuro awoke next, coming in, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning.

"Goddamn rain," he complained, throwing himself on the couch, next to me. "It was having a goddamn party on that roof last night."

"I heard," I responded, arms folded, looking out at the balcony at the now cyan sky dancing over the Leaf Village.

I heard Aimi getting up then, probably due to the action out here and immediately I was alert, listening to her movements. As I heard her turn on the shower, the third person to use it that morning, Kankuro watched me with a smug grin.

"Shut up," I snapped, hissing as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. He was right though; I was having a hard time not picturing her. I was having a hard time trying to stop myself wishing I wasn't sat on this lime green couch, encased in these sunshine yellow walls but that I was in that shower with her, caressing her body, stroking her pearly skin, making love to her, taking the pain away. I pushed the thought out of my mind.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I heard her exit the shower and go back to her room.

Just as Temari called, "Breakfast is ready," Aimi gave a very loud, frightened yell.

"Oh my God!"

"What's up, Aims?" Kankuro shouted to her. She didn't respond. Temari brought the food into the living room and placed it on the coffee table, ignoring Aimi's shout in her haste to lay out the breakfast.

"Aimi, breakfast!" Temari repeated, kneeling down to eat her own.

Aimi stumbled in at that moment, wearing a black t shirt and some leggings. She was holding a tattered piece of paper and wearing a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" Kankuro asked.

"It's a letter from Sasuke," she told us. Her brow was furrowed and one arm was draped across her stomach as if to hold something in. The pain?

"Show it to us?" Temari requested, taking the paper from Aimi's hand before she could respond. Aimi did not seem bothered however, and came to sit by my side. I didn't know what to expect from her, a hug or a kiss but she did nothing. Her eyes looked truly disturbed as they greeted me good morning.

I gave her a small smile in response as Temari passed the letter to Kankuro.

"What does it say?" I asked, getting a little impatient waiting to see it. Temari shook her head sadly and reached over to squeeze Aimi's hand lightly.

Finally, the letter reached me.

_"Aimi,_

By now you'll have realized I've left, I guess.

I'm sorry. I can't stay in this washed up town. There's nothing left for me here and I can't remain here. I can't keep staying here just for you and pretending I'm okay.

You're with that desert rat in the Sand Village. Like he said, we have something in common - a purpose. And I need to live out that purpose.

I have to get stronger to defeat Itachi. You seem to have given up on our clan, on protecting our family's honor by taking revenge on those who damage it but I never will.

So I'm going to Orochimaru.

I'm giving you this opportunity and my permission to follow me. I'll be waiting for you in the Village hidden in the Sound.

I'll find you if you come. Just speak to anyone you meet, show them your sharingan, tell them your name and they'll bring you to me.

I'm offering you this because I love you and because you're my sister and I know you're too weak to be alone. You need me. You can't stay there looking after yourself, you're too feeble and unstable. I understand that about you but I'm still willing to have you join me.

I'll see you soon.

Sasuke."

* * *

**Author's Note: WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE'LL DO? Do you think she'll go after Sasuke? Think Gaara'll go kiss his ass? If you make a good suggestion, I'll take it on board and write it in.  
**

** Please REVIEW and I'll post on Friday at 10pm GMT.**

**Like I said, if you suggest something in a review, there's a pretty good chance I'll write it into the story if you don't mind.**


	14. Chapter 14

_**DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do**_**not **_**own Naruto. Nor do I own Love the Way You Lie Part II by Eminem and Rihanna. I have ordered 2 Naruto boxsets via eBay since the last time I updated and they've still not arrived either so I don't own those yet too. Life is cruel, people.**_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto).**_

* * *

_But you'll always be my hero,_

_even though you've lost your mind._

_- __**Eminem ft. Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie Part II**_

* * *

**Gaara's POV **

The words were like a red flag to a bull as I read over it again. I tried to steady myself but I could not stop the violent shaking of my hands.

"You're not going," I growled through gritted teeth to Aimi, shaking at the thought of her leaving, chasing after Sasuke in the darkness when he did not deserve her worry or her pain.

She shook her head, her mane of chocolate hair falling in front of her shoulders, flowing down to her breasts like a dark waterfall. "No, I'm not."

I nodded my appreciation stiffly, trying to hold in the fury.

"I found it in a bundle of my clothes that you guys picked up for me when you went to the apartment," Aimi explained, watching the piece of paper being passed around with disdain in her eyes.

"That's... it's horrible," Kankuro said, his voice laced with disgust. "The way he speaks to you..."

Aimi nodded. After a few moments of silence, she whimpered, "I'm not feeble," as her eyes filled with tears, ironically looking so vulnerable that I automatically reached out for her hand. She caught it and clung on desperately, crawling closer to me.

"You're not," I confirmed, my brow furrowing. I knew from the looks Temari and Kankuro were giving me that my expression was dangerous.

"The way he speaks to you..." Kankuro repeated. "He completely underestimates you."

"He does. He doesn't understand how strong you can be when you have to be. Look how strong you were in the Chunin exams! And with Gaara! He wouldn't be the person he is today without you," Temari said, looking at the two of us sat very close together.

I nodded my agreement, holding Aimi's gaze, recollecting the loneliness and the hatred that had been present in my bones when I met her and then comparing it to the feeling of near contentment I experienced now. I had discovered something of great worth.

Suddenly she sat up straight. "I just can't believe him, just expecting me to uproot like that to follow him into evil. If virtue is deemed as weakness, hell, I'm hope I'm weak, I hope I'm feeble. I'm not sorry that my purpose doesn't lie in revenge. I believe in myself, I believe that I can make my clan proud without murdering my family. I don't have to fall victim to the curse of my clan."

Her brother did not realize how wrong his judgment of his sister was, how proud he should be of her.

We agreed that the letter must be taken to the Hokage immediately and we set off once we had eaten breakfast. Aimi was shaking as we arrived at the Hokage's office, out of fear or anger, I could not tell. She had a way of surprising you. Just when you felt you'd finally unraveled her and you knew everything there was to know about her, she would surprise you again. Her unpredictability was one of the things that had drawn me to her in the first place.

Lady Tsunade welcomed us in with gusto, almost surprised to see Aimi looking so... together. Clearly she had thought she would be far too broken to be walking around at this point.

Aimi handed over the letter and Tsunade read it with scrutiny. Her brow wrinkled as she read, clearly very concerned.

"I see," she said, placing the letter on her desk and leaning forward, resting her chin on her hands and surveying Aimi with a gaze that was clearly meant to be authoritarian. "Well, Aimi, are you going after him?"

Aimi did not need any time to deliberate. She took a step closer to Lady Tsunade and said in a strong, steady voice, "No. No, I am not, m'am. I'm going to stay and prove that as an Uchiha, I don't have to turn to murder or power. I will uphold the virtue in my clan. I will not allow my mother to look down from heaven and see that everything she left on this earth as her legacy has rotted away. I'll make her proud of at least one of the three of us. I swear that on her soul."

Tsunade kept her eyes on Aimi. Did she see what I saw? Did she see the beauty in the thick cascades of brunette or the wonder in the broken shards of hazel in her eyes? Did she see the strength in her bare legs under her shorts or the sense of purpose in her stance? Was it just me who noticed those things?

"Good. I'm very pleased to hear that and I'm proud of you for making that decision. Kakashi told me you were truly good, purer than any other member of your clan and I see what he means now," Tsunade elucidated, keeping her eyes on Aimi. Aimi was not shaking now; she stood boldly before the Hokage, determination on her face.

"Well then, I guess that's the verification I needed," Tsunade uttered. "Since Sasuke has left and Sakura has begun her medical ninjutsu training, I guess that means there will have to be a temporary disbanding of Team 7."

"What?!" Aimi shouted, forgetting where she was. She looked truly horrified. "Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, you can't-!"

"Aimi, you're down to two members from four. I don't think any of you would be able to function together at the emotional stage you're all at now with the loss of Sasuke. For this reason, I have contacted the members of the jonin council in the Village Hidden in the Sand asked that you become a temporary member of Team Baki and stay out there for a while."

"Stay-stay out there?" Aimi asked, shock in her voice.

Stay with us? Stay in the Sand village for a while? She'd be there all the time, out with us on missions, part of our team. She'd be there every night, every day.

"Yes. Naruto will become an alternate for other squads. I don't know you very well, Aimi but I see in you something I have seen in someone else I once knew. To stay here, to walk these streets every day when you're in such acute pain won't help you. I think you'll do much better in a fresh environment with people who care about you, somewhere you don't associate with your twin brother. I still would like you to come home every three months to review the situation and help out on missions as your home is here, in this village. You are a Leaf ninja and you always will be. You are a great asset to the Leaf village and you carry within you the legacy of your clan. But for now, you need some space. Besides, if you want to become stronger, you need a more challenging training routine and I think you will find that with these particular shinobi."

And so it was agreed that Aimi was to come to the Sand village with us. We stayed a few more weeks to teach at the academy, Aimi joining us to take her mind off of things. The children truly idolized her, the legacy of her clan following her wherever she went. Many were surprised to see her being as kind as she was after they'd heard the rumors from their elder siblings and parents' friends about the Uchiha clan when they were a bottle or two of sake down.

Naruto frequently came over to visit with Sakura and the three of them often went out to train or to hang out with the other genin of the Leaf Village. Aimi took that boy's dog, Akamaru for a walk a few times with Shikamaru and the boy. Temari accompanied them a lot. I noticed a spark between her and the boy named Shikamaru yet I didn't comment. I wasn't Kankuro and I was glad to see my sister smiling after everything I'd put her through.

My life used to be a battered canvas, threatening black, a gray of depression splattered with blood red and sickening yellow screams. But now, the yellow had mellowed into sunshine and cheerful oranges. Natural greens and calming blues had been painted onto the page. The black had faded and the gray lightened to a white. The red had changed its meaning. Just as the sickening of the yellow mellowed to sunshine, the murderous red turned into a passion, a longing, a hope.

The night we packed up, she slipped out of the room as she had done the night she'd come home from the hospital. I made my excuses and I followed her to our old rooftop and found her staring up into the starry sky. I did not hesitate with her this time and I sat beside her, our shoulders touching, not speaking.

Things had changed between us so much since the last time we were here and there was no shock in her face any longer at my touch as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder a little awkwardly, completely new to the world of romance. There was no hesitation as she leaned on me heavily, completely at ease with me.

She was the first person I could ever declare as at ease with me and it felt so goddamn good.

We would not be coming back here for a while and I felt the nostalgia settle in my stomach under the looming moon. I wondered what I would've thought if someone back then told me that a few months on, I'd have kissed that girl, held her in my arms, that she'd make me feel whole again.

Would I have accepted that anyone could've changed me? Would I have understood that there could be something better than murder? Probably not. I would've killed whoever dared to tell me such a thing.

Aimi was my friend. Maybe she was my best friend. That's what Naruto and Sakura called her too, their "best friend". Was a person allowed more than one best friend? I didn't know. I'd never had friends before. But Naruto didn't look at Aimi the way I looked at her, so there must be another word for what I felt for her. That boy with the dog looked at her like that sometimes and it made the monster inside me growl when he picked her up from the apartment with hopeful eyes and the hyperactive dog on his shoulder. But she never told him that she loved him.

She'd say she loved Temari all the time and Temari said it back, hugging her the way she hugged Kankuro when she wasn't reprimanding him. Love. Aimi told Sakura she loved _her_ sometimes and I even heard her say it to the curious little white dog over Kiba's shoulder eliciting a pretty grumpy look from the boy with the fangs.

What did she mean? Did she mean it the same way I felt for Naruto and Lee or the way I felt for Temari and Kankuro? Love was a label for a particular emotion and it intimidated me that it wasn't either of these feelings.

But that maybe it was the way I felt for her.

It was exactly how Yashamaru had described it a decade ago.

"Well, love is the heart's desire to protect and serve someone precious to you."

Just as I questioned what I was every day, I began to wonder just what we were.

The morning came when we were due to leave. Aimi came in with a bold smile, in her pajamas. She'd taken to borrowing my t-shirts to sleep in, rather than Sasuke's. It was just too painful for her to wear his clothes now and one day, she'd found a pile of my shirts in the clean laundry and just started wearing them. I hadn't questioned her and neither did I plan to. Because I _liked _that every morning she walked in wearing a t-shirt that I might wear the next day or answered the door wearing my clothes. It was like she was _mine _and the monster inside me was not the only one gaining pleasure from the feeling of having her belong to me.

As she poured herself some miso soup, Kankuro remarked quietly to me that Aimi was putting on a brave face as she hummed to herself in the kitchen and that he could tell she was hurting inside. At first, I didn't agree with him. I truly thought she was happy, excited to be headed out with us.

She went to her room then, playing music aloud, and packing on her own. We'd given her space but I still thought Kankuro was wrong. I thought she was truly starting to accept Sasuke leaving.

But it was I who was to be wrong.

Kankuro and I were sat in the living room watching more of his stupid sitcoms.

That's when the music Aimi was playing changed.

_On the first page of our story, the future seemed so bright. Then this thing turned out so evil, I don't know why I'm so surprised._

Kankuro and I looked at each other in that moment and I knew something was wrong.

Just as I leapt to my feet and headed for her room to check she was okay, I heard her sing the next line with a subtle sob, _"But you'll always be my hero, even though you've lost your mind."_

As I entered her bedroom, the chorus exploded and I found her lying on her side in the fetal position on the bed, her body clenching and spasming as if she was emitting silent screams. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked if she was being tortured. I felt Kankuro gasp behind me as he took in the sight of Aimi.

I went to her and as soon as I sat down on the bed, she scrambled into my lap and latched onto me desperately.

"He's gone, he's gone," she whimpered, burying her head into my neck, her thick hair getting in my mouth as she sobbed, almost suffocating me. "He's never coming back. He left. He just left and he's never coming back because I'm weak. I'm not good enough. I wasn't enough for him."

"Aimi, it's going to be okay. I promise we'll take care of you. Come here," Kankuro promised, coming forward and attempting to prise her from me to bring her into a hug.

She pushed him away with one hand and gave a primal yelp. "No! Gaara! I_ need_ Gaara!"

"Okay, Aimi. It's okay," Kankuro soothed, not in the least bit offended that she'd pushed him away. He'd grown to accept that he didn't have a hope in hell of understanding the loneliness and the rejection she was suffering from.

I held her as tightly as she held me, allowing her to cry, her body completely wrapped around me like a straitjacket.

She was hurting. It was at that moment that I knew it would be days before the outbursts of crying would stop, weeks before the excruciating pain began to subside and months before she would learn to accept what had happened.

But I would be there for her and we'd take care of her as if she was one of our own and I would take responsibility for her pain and do my best to fix her as she had fixed me.

We left later that day when she calmed down with Shikamaru seeing us off.

Temari and Shikamaru bantered back and forth.

"I'll see you next time you need to be rescued. Just let me know and I'll come," she told him, flirting unabashedly.

"You girls are all alike, you had to get the last word in," he grumbled.

Temari laughed, her eyes dazzled and she bid him goodbye.

"Bye, Aimi! It won't be the same without you!" Shikamaru called just before we were out of sight. She turned and gave him her signature smile, inarguably stunning.

And I felt hope that through all the pain because at the end of it all, she could still smile.

Then, we left.

* * *

**Nearly three months later.**

**Aimi's POV**

I ran through the bustling streets of the Village Hidden in the Sand with a purpose in my mind, a smile on my face and a potted moon cactus in my arms. I ran and ran and I saw people's eye catch the sight of me, of my Leaf Village headband and I knew what they saw. The sun wasn't as oppressive as usual today and I liked that. It was more like home. I entered the apartment I'd been staying in for the past few months and sprinted to the living room to find Temari sprawled across the sofa, eating dumplings.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, running past her to hide the cactus behind the sofa.

"I'm relaxing. It's my afternoon off at the academy and Gaara and Kankuro are teaching genjutsu today. It's not my thing," she explained, stuffing another dumpling in her mouth.

"Isn't it your _mission _to teach there?" I asked, as flustered as _she_ usually was when she had something on your mind.

"Yeah but the kids won't learn anything from me when I'm running on empty and I know pretty much nothing about genjutsu anyway. Anyway, why're you in such a rush?" she asked, sitting up and watching as I bounced on the balls of my feet.

"I got Gaara a present," I told her, grinning, very pleased with myself.

"What is it?"

"I got him... a moon cactus!" I said triumphantly, pulling it out behind the sofa and brandishing the little red cactus at her.

"That's it? That's what you're so worked up about? That little red thing? Sheesh, you need to calm down. You're like that hyperactive kid in the orange jumpsuit from the Leaf Village," she grumbled, reaching out for the red cactus, however and looking intrigued.

"Who, Naruto? I'm gonna see him in a few days!" I declared, excitedly. She was probably right, I was pretty hyperactive. I was headed back to the Leaf Village tomorrow for my review and I couldn't wait to see everyone, despite the fact that I wouldn't be accompanied by the Sand Siblings.

"Wow, I wonder where the calamity in the apartment will go once you've left," she teased sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out at her. "Why're you giving this to Gaara anyway?"

"He likes cultivating cacti. And it's the same color as his hair. It's just something for him to have while I'm in the Leaf Village for my quarterly review," I explained. "Maybe I should leave it in his room. Or maybe I'll just leave it here on the table. But what if it doesn't look as impressive?"

"Aimi! Just leave it there and give it to him when he comes back. It's Gaara, it's not like he's gonna jump on the table and do the Time Warp due to the overwhelming and unbearable excitement," she joked, grinning slyly. I giggled.

She was right, Gaara wasn't known for his flamboyant shows of appreciation with gifts. He would really like his present though, I hoped.

I sat with her for the rest of the afternoon as she treaded very carefully around the subject of Shikamaru.

I knew it. It was coming a mile off.

Finally, I heard Kankuro and Gaara return home, Kankuro muttering about Gaara showing off with his sand again.

"I mean, I get it, Gaara. You're a total powerhouse, but do you always have to make me look bad when we do example battles at the academy? All I'm saying is could you let me win, like once? Please? I won't tease you about Aimi for a whole week," he was saying as he entered the apartment, slinging the Crow puppet down by the door.

As they entered the living room, I held out the moon cactus to Gaara.

"Look what I got for you!" I sang, watching Gaara's expression light up a little as he saw it.

"Oh, for me? You shouldn't have," Kankuro teased sarcastically.

"Shut up, dickwad. It's not for you!" I snapped, sticking my tongue out at him with a grin as Gaara came forward to survey his present. "Do you like it?"

His ringed emerald orbs went from my face with that stoic smoldering gaze to the cactus and he gave a very small, nearly invisible smile. "It's... it's great."

_I made him smile! _I thought triumphantly. Gaara's smiles were few and far between but then to receive one only made it more special. The sincerity was evident in his eyes._ He likes it_.

"It's red like your hair. I feel kinda stupid now though, it's only tiny. But er... it's just a little something for when I go back to the Leaf Village tomorrow," I blabbed, not realizing that I was beginning to sound a little overexcited.

"Woah, Aimi. Calm down with the verbal diarrhea," Kankuro mocked as red flooded my cheeks.

"Shut up," I growled out of the corner of my mouth as Gaara took the cactus from me.

"Thank you, Aimi," Gaara said sincerely, his eyes evident in the truth of his words. He went to his room then to give it a home and I sighed. Kankuro smirked at me, knowing I still sometimes got a little dizzy around Gaara. I couldn't really help it, he was still a little mesmerizing to me.

We spent the next hour reviewing the siblings' day at the academy. Since I wasn't an official citizen of the Sand village, I wasn't allowed to _officially_ teach at the academy so I was very often called into diplomatic meetings, asked to "help out" at the academy or sent on other missions. However, the siblings' bout at the academy was only supposed to be a month long and we'd be back to kicking ass and taking names pretty soon.

I'd improved extensively with my jutsu thanks to the siblings' sheer talent. We would spar a lot, although the sand very often got in the way of me being able to protect myself on my own terms. It was near impossible for Gaara and I to spar and so we would usually tag team up against Temari and Kankuro and beat them effortlessly. They would complain afterwards that it was an unfair fight but both agreed it was the best way for _them_ to improve their jutsu.

Neither Gaara nor I had officially declared ourselves to be in a relationship but it was a widely known fight around the village that "Gaara of the Desert", the one hosting the Shukaku, the Sand's greatest weapon was dating "that girl from the Uchiha clan". We never discussed it, we merely held hands when we were walking anywhere in the dark and held each other, kissing passionately in the day when no one was around.

I'd truly fallen for him, there was no question and every day that passed was another day that I wanted to tell him, to stop him sinking into the darkness when people whispered as he walked by. I wanted him to know that he was truly adored and that I'd fallen for him in the worst way.

At the beginning of my stay here, it had been hard. I'd stayed with him in the living room when night fell and Temari and Kankuro had gone to bed. I would cry myself to sleep in his arms, whimpering my brother's name, wondering why I wasn't good enough, why he'd left me.

But as time passed, the tears subsided and the anger came. I spent days throwing punches at Gaara, only for his sand to stop me, kissing him so roughly, pinning him down just so I could feel like the anger was going somewhere, so it wasn't eating me alive. Some time afterward, the anger passed and I was blessed with a sense of clarity after Temari's assuring pep talks, Kankuro's jokes and Gaara's steady heartbeat in the cool night air.

It wasn't my fault. I hadn't done anything wrong. If Sasuke had his point to prove, so did I.

It occurred to me that living without Sasuke wasn't as hard as I thought it would be because the Sasuke I knew _wouldn't_ have called me weak.

That was my starting point and I worked from there to build myself up until I didn't need Gaara there in case I broke down in tears, I didn't need Temari bitching about Sasuke to make the pain go away and I didn't need Kankuro's jokes about "duckbutt head". I could handle it alone.

I owed it to the three Sand siblings, they had watched me tear myself apart and together they had built me back up again.

That was truly what family was about.

This particular night, the night before I was due to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village was just like another other night, the sun setting through the windows, basking us in its warm light, Kankuro cracking stupid jokes, Temari reprimanding him when they got too crude and Gaara sat beside me, an omniscient presence as he watched over the scene, glancing at me with every changing expression.

Suddenly, Temari got to her feet. "Come on, Kankuro. We've got that meeting to get to with the elders."

"Wh-what?" Kankuro asked, perplexed.

"That _meeting _with the elders about the academy. They want to see us," Temari said, heading for the front door and collecting Kankuro on her way.

"Wait, so late?" I asked, utterly dumbfounded at her sudden exit.

"Yeah, I only just remembered. It's about the academy and they just want to see Kankuro and me. No big deal, we'll see you guys later," she said flippantly, heading out with a forced wide smile, Kankuro in tow.

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked, staring after the door they'd exited so swiftly from.

Gaara was staring at me then, his unwavering gaze capturing me.  
"What? What're you looking at? I'm going away tomorrow so take a picture, it'll last longer," I muttered, looking away to stop blushing.

He ignored me and caught my chin with two fingers and turned my face back to his, his infallible eyes boring into me.

"Stay," he ordered. I beamed at him, the memory of all we'd been through blurring through my mind. I found myself leaning towards him in that moment and suddenly we were kissing urgently, kissing like the world was ending, his scent of musk and spices enveloping the air around us as I tugged on his cloak, pulling me down to hover over me as I lay on the couch, not once breaking contact. I enfolded my arms around his neck and he clutched at my waist as he usually did when this happened, his apparent need for my skin imperative at this moment.

I was sure it made him feel alive to feel my warm skin against his hands, just as feeling the pull of his muscles and skin made me feel when I clung onto his shoulders desperately as our tongues danced together. I wanted him and I wanted to show him. I needed him to know that no matter how painful his childhood was, I was here right now in this moment and I'd never wanted anything more than his soft, sweet lips on mine, one hand stroking my stomach roughly and the other wrapped around me, gripping me to his body tightly.

The heat in my core intensified as he groaned when I pushed my hips up to meet his body, where I felt his need for me through his pants. I tugged at his hair in response, arching my back and grinding up against him once more. He gasped and I felt his hands ride up my stomach to my crop top. At that point, he withdrew from the kiss and moved himself so his head was in line with my belly button.

He kissed my stomach lovingly, all the time his sea foam eyes watching me carefully, dangerous in their lust. Then he worked his way up my body in a vertical pattern, kissing every inch of my skin like it was his life force. His mouth met his hands which were gripping my sides just under my crop top. When he reached them, he paused. We both knew the next step.

"Aimi?" He was asking for permission. I nodded quickly and scrambled up a little, peeling the top from my body, pulling it over my head and tossing it to the side, revealing myself to him.

He gasped again and stared down at the mounds of flesh before him. I felt self-conscious as his eyes ravished me, the hunger in his eyes apparent, contrasting with his shy touch. He brought his hands up to cup them, seeming confused at first as he analyzed their shape and their weight, mesmerized by them.

_Well, he is a virgin_, I thought. _What did you expect?_

However, seconds later, he lowered himself down to one and licked the nipple very slowly, making me squirm in anticipation. I sighed with pleasure as he did it again and he sped up his ministrations, caressing the other breast with his hand.

Soon, his tongue flicked over my nipple, sending shocks of pleasure to my heat and I found myself moaning his name and reaching for his collar, to unfasten his overalls and pull them down to his waist, revealing his undershirt to me. I hooked my fingers under it and lifted it up over his head, revealing his chest. I'd never seen it before and god, was I in for a treat. He was as defined and chiseled as I thought he was and I ran my fingers over the ridges in his stomach muscles, over the planes of his chest, tracing the line of his collarbone.

"Gaara, you're so beautiful," I told him, in awe of his body and all he was; a man.

He didn't say anything and merely lowered himself to me, continuing our heated kisses with a passion that burned brighter than ever before, his body weight pressing down on my stomach as he kneaded my breasts. I could feel him, hard, against my pelvis and I wanted him as our bare skin chafed in our desperate attempts to cling closer to one another. I loved how _fucking _warm he was, how safe I felt with him this close.

Was this really the person I'd seen kill two people in that dark corridor? Was this really the boy with the murderous look in his eye as he destroyed Lee? The one who'd created a giant sand tsunami to take down an incredibly strong opponent? And here he was, gathering me up with one arm, kissing me desperately, like I was his oxygen and caressing my breast.

I loved the strength in his masculine body, so easily overpowering my much softer feminine one, proving that he was the stronger one, that he could take care of me and protect me.

I felt him thrust into me then with the motion of sex that I had imagined in my dream in the little space we had between us and I moaned. "Gaara," I heard my voice plea and his teeth went to my neck, nibbling in the crook and sucking at the skin there.

"Aimi," he whispered lovingly, my name suddenly sounding so peculiar in his husky, deep voice. "Aimi."

Suddenly, we heard the sound of a door being opened and downstairs as Kankuro and Temari came home.

* * *

**Temari's POV**

"Of course there was no meeting, you dumbass!" I spat at Kankuro as I opened the door to our place, wondering what was taking place upstairs.

* * *

**Author's Note: Do you think Temari's going to walk in on them?! What do you think will happen when Aimi goes back to the Leaf Village? REVIEW AND TELL ME. Can any of you guess what happens next? ;) **

**Also, I want to apologize if the lemon was a little chauvinistic but I know Aimi and Aimi is turned on by men who can prove they can protect her because they're strong and she feels pretty vulnerable so please don't be mad about the "overpowering my much softer feminine one" line. I hope that didn't offend anyone :) I just felt I ought to explain it.**

**I won't be posting now until Monday 18th at 10pm GMT, that's why I gave you a longer chapter than usual and a slice of lemon. I hope you like it and I'll see you all on Monday.**

**REVIEW and tell me if you liked it.**

**REVIEW and guess what happens next.**

**If I get enough REVIEWS, I may even update earlier. Bribebribebribe. Review whore.**

**Also, eBay, if you're reading this, I EXPECT NARUTO SEASON 2 AND 9 BY TOMORROW YOU IDIOTS.**


	15. Chapter 15

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do_not _own Naruto. I wish I owned Guy and Lee's bromance. Aww.__  
_**

**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto)._**

* * *

_With every small disaster,_

_I'll let the waters still. _

_Take me away to someplace real._

_'Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone._

_- **Gabrielle Aplin, Home**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

I felt the door to the living room slam shut, a tight rope of sand turning the knob so the door was impossible to open.

"Quick!" I hissed, more to myself than Gaara, as I struggled to get my clothes back on. I leapt off the sofa, standing sheepishly by the window as I heard Temari and Kankuro coming up the stairs that led from the street to the door of the apartment on the upper floor.

Gaara took his time arranging himself and he was just about done and sat on the sofa, leaning back, totally relaxed, as if nothing had happened as I heard the other two open the door to the apartment.

"We're back!" Temari called loudly, her voice sounding more like a warning as Gaara's sand retreated back into his gourd. His eyes were burning into me as he glanced from me to the seat next to him, obviously gesturing. I heeded him and went and sat by him just as Temari entered the living room, one eye shut.

"Ah! There you two are! Did you er, make the most of… some time _together_?" she hinted blatantly as Kankuro tittered behind her. I gave her a withering look and ignored her.

"Anyway, I have to go check everything's alright with my packing since I'll in the Leaf Village for a couple of weeks," I declared, standing up, holding myself with pride as I walked past Temari and Kankuro, who was snickering darkly at our stoic positions on the couch.

I had been checking over my duffel bag for about five minutes when I sensed someone at the doorway. I didn't even need to turn to look who it was. I just knew because of the silence.

"What's wrong?" I asked, still rifling through the bag and refusing to turn around to see his steady look of indifferent. He didn't answer and I spotted something in the corner of my eye resting on my bed, looking a little forlorn.

It was the stuffed bear Gaara had given me, the one he'd had from being a child. I could feel his eyes on me, watching from the doorway as I picked the animal up and looked into its kind eyes. I imagined it in Gaara's arm when he was a child, accompanying him wherever he went, the only thing connecting him to this world.

"So you're taking him?" Gaara's husky voice asked as I held the bear to me. I nodded and turn to see him leaning against the doorframe as he always did. He looked strange without his gourd, softer somehow and less threatening.

"I'll probably feel a little homesick without him, he's got to come," I said, holding the bear tighter still.

"Homesick?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Well, I kinda feel like this place is kind of like a home to me now. I spend a lot of time here and I'll miss... I'll really miss..." I trailed off. "I'll really miss you guys." I couldn't tell him for some reason how much I'd miss HIM individually. How I needed him. "You're needed at the academy though, and I'll be okay."

Gaara nodded. "You will, you're strong." And with that, he left, the shadow of a smile on his face. I wondered if he was thinking as I was, about our escapades on the couch. As I clambered into bed for my final night in the Sand Village, preparing myself mentally for my long solitary trip to the Leaf Village tomorrow, I wondered if he was hoping we could carry on where we left off when I got back.

As I neared the Leaf Village on the third day, speeding through the vital forest, teeming with wildlife, I thought back over my goodbyes with the sand siblings. Kankuro was itching to get back to the academy and to begin prepping for the segment of teaching on weapons. Temari got rather emotional and asked I said hello to everyone, _particularly Shikamaru_ from her. Gaara shook my hand rather awkwardly and I blushed at the formal action, so in contrast with yesterday's fiery act.

It didn't matter now. I was going home and I would see Gaara soon. I was happy enough. I just wondered where I was going to stay whilst in the village.

As the gates came into view, I spotted three figures waiting, one of them jumping up and down in excitement. My arrival must have been voiced around the village. I slowed to a walk and heard, "Aimi! Hey, Aimi!"

"Well, look who it is," Shikamaru greeted me as Naruto ran forward to pounce on me for a hug.

"Hey guys!" I replied, struggling to breathe in Naruto's vice grip.

"It hasn't been the same without you, Aimi," Sakura said, her voice sounding more like a promise.

We walked into town, headed for Ichiraku Ramen - Naruto's idea, of course - and they filled me in on all the crazy things they'd been up to, like escorting criminals and Akamaru going crazy and almost dying.

Just then, a familiar face headed towards us, running in time with happy barks.

"Speak of the devil!" Sakura exclaimed as Kiba stopped in front of us, just outside Ichiraku.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in," he said, his eyes glinting as he gave me a toothy grin.

"Look, what the _dog_ brought home," I countered as his eyes surveyed me. It didn't escape my notice that Kiba would flirt with me occasionally and that hadn't changed apparently. Akamaru leapt into my arms from his pedestal on Kiba's shoulder, yipping and jumping just as excitedly as Naruto had. "I missed you too, buddy."

"So, how long did it take you to get here? It seems like you've been gone ages, by the way," Kiba said as we all settled into our places.

"It took me three whole days. The Sand Village is _far_," I exclaimed.

"Man, that sounds like a drag," Shikamaru moaned, his hands resting behind his head.

_You might have to get used to it_,I thought inwardly, as I thought of him and Temari.

"What's it like?" Sakura asked, leaning past Shikamaru with a curious look on her face.

"Well, Sakura... there's er... there's a lot of what I guess you could call... _sand_," I teased, raising my eyebrow at her. The others laughed heartily and she frowned at me, looking disappointed. "But seriously, there's a lot of sand and it's crazy hot in the day and cool during the night. It's a good job I came home when I did because I was starting to get a little bored with Gaara, Kankuro and Temari down at the academy."

"Academy?" Naruto asked, sounding skeptical.

"Is that what I think it's about? Lady Tsunade just received a status report from Temari about that earlier this morning," Sakura said, her voice becoming rather professional as she relayed information.

"What kind of status report?" Shikamaru inquired, zoning into Temari's name a little.

"Yeah, what's up?" Naruto questioned.

"Well, I guess the Hidden Sand village has recently started a ninja training program and they've adopted the same curriculum as the Leaf. The only thing is Temari and her two brothers are the instructors," Sakura explaining, merely stating things I already knew.

"THEY'RE WHAT?!" Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto yelled in unison.

"How did someone as mean as her get to be an instructor?" Shikamaru grumbled. I grinned at him fondly, wondering if he even knew how affectionate she was felt toward him. Probably not. Men were clueless.

"Really? So Gaara's there too, huh?" Naruto said nostalgically, smiling at the thought of his friend. "Hey, Aimi. You and Gaara are close. How is he?"

I blushed scarlet, wanting desperately not to get onto this topic. I would only end up wondering if he was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him. "He's good. Anyway, how's the future Hokage been doing in his quest to reach his goal?"

"I'm on my way, just you watch!" he promised. "It's been a struggle finding anything on Sasuke though."

I hadn't heard his name for so long and I felt a stab of pain in my chest at the thought of him. Gaara and the others usually didn't talk about him in front of me so I didn't have to face it but this was a whole new situation. I felt my face fall and Naruto immediately began apologizing and swearing I wouldn't have to look sad for long because he'd get Sasuke back soon.

I didn't comment or agree, I just tried to change the subject, to expel the sudden pain in my heart. "So where am I staying?"

"You're staying with me! We'll have so much fun, I'm excited!" Sakura said.

"Ooh, two girls, huh? Like a sleepover?" Naruto asked in a creepy voice, wiggling his eyebrows and looking at us both with a very strange look.

That earned him a swift punch on the head from a certain pink-haired kunoichi accompanied by a screech of "PERVERT!" Needless to say, Shikamaru and Kiba were having a hard time disguising their cowering.

"Jeez, women are _so_ troublesome."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, SHIKAMARU?!" Sakura screamed, turning slowly in his direction with a murderous look in her eye, her shadow looming over him like an extremely foreboding thunder cloud.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys. Sorry this is shorter than usual but it's the structure of the story, I guess.**

**What I need to tell you is that I'm thinking of deleting this story. I read over it last night and cringed at the pacing, how I wrote things and I was just thinking maybe I should delete it, re-write it and then re-post it. Unless you guys let me know you don't want to, I guess I'll have to do it because I'm petrified about how poorly written it is.**

**Please tell me if you want it to stay here and if you think it's good enough and you would like me to keep posting because at the minute, I'm kinda embarrassed about the poor quality of it. Unless it's just me? I dunno. Maybe I just think that 'cause I wrote it.**

**But **_**please **_**tell me what you think and what to do or I'll have to it down, re-write it and re-post it, the embarrassment and humiliation would kill me. I'm such a wuss. I'm worried you're all sat there like, "what crap is she going to come out with next? I shall take pity on her and read this pathetic chapter, MWAHAHA."  
**

**Also, if you want to read anymore Gaara love stories, there's a few good ones in my favorites.**


	16. Chapter 16

_**DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do**_not _**own Naruto. Aimi Uchiha is answerable to me though.**_

_**Aimi: I'm an Uchiha, I answer to no one, woman!**_

_**Rainbowweekend: Pipe down or you're staying a virgin throughout this whole fic.**_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and of course, bad language (I blame Naruto).**_

* * *

_I've started falling apart, _

_I'm not savoring life._

_Take the pieces and build them skywards._

_I've forgotten how good it could be to feel alive._

_**- Biffy Clyro, Machines**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

I lay on the ground on my front, face down in the dirt. The ache of effort scorched my bones, the flames of exhaustion licking at my muscles, daring me to give in. I panted heavily into the soil, my soaked tank top clutching at my skin. The sun streamed down from its low position in the sky, mocking my weakness. I grunted, refusing to give in and leapt to my feet.

Lee stood before me, in the ready position, Gai several meters back from him. He surveyed the scene with polite disinterest, glancing between where the Leaf's Handsome Devil faced the last faithful Uchiha and down at the Icha Icha Paradise book in his hands, a gift from Kakashi. I had rolled my eyes when I first spotted it and throughout our training period, Gai had become more and more engrossed in reading rather than in my training. What the hell did Jiraiya write in that book?!

Both Lee and i were worse for wear. His jumpsuit had ripped at the arm where I had gotten a little too vicious, forgotten taijutsu and opted for a raw, wild attack with my nails. He had a shiner coming up and he was holding his left arm very gingerly where I had landed a direct hit on his shoulder. I was sporting a particularly nasty bruise on my thigh from a roundhouse kick and several cuts and scrapes from rather embarrassing falls, consequential of Lee's several successful attacks. He was just better than I was at taijutsu.

It had all started the morning after my first day in the Leaf Village, one week ago when I'd been called to Lady Tsunade's office for my quarterly review. She welcomed me in with great gusto, Shizune at her side.

"Well, Aimi Uchiha. It certainly has been a while. How have you been?" she greeted, a warm smile on her deceptively youthful face.

We went through the niceties quickly, although without falseness. I truly respected Lady Tsunade.

"Anyway, I've had a report of your progress from the Sand Siblings and it seems you're doing well. However, I realized something whilst going over your notes," she explained, several pieces of paper strewn out in front of her on her large mahogany desk, all of them entitled with my name.

"Yes, m'lady?" I asked politely.

"There's no question that the Uchiha bloodline has blessed you. There's also no question that when you are in the correct frame of mind, so to speak, you can control this blessing," she began, her warm brown eyes analyzing my face, their beautiful, soft color contrasting with the sharp look she was giving me. "However, regardless, you are an Uchiha and first and foremost, you are Aimi. Recent events have hit you hard from what I can tell and I am concerned that any future missions we place you on may stir up some very dangerous emotions in you and result in some negative consequences."

"M'am?" I asked, not quite understanding.

"Aimi, you are a tenacious, loyal and fierce young woman who has just lost her brother," Tsunade stated. Did she notice me wince at the word 'brother'? It was like Sasuke had died a traitor's death and everyone considered me weak for allowing his departure to affect me so. "You are also a very emotional person. If I am to allow you to continue as a shinobi when you have yet to learn how to control your emotions, I must first of all take precautions. This is so that I know that you are not liable to lose control and, for example, injure a comrade in battle because of a reckless ninjutsu attack."

"My lady, I would never-!" I protested, taking a step forward, raising my voice unintentionally.

She raised a hand to stop me and I froze. "And there we go. You are hot blooded and strong-willed, just as so many of your clan were. You yourself are also prone to making hasty decisions based on your emotions rather than relying on your better judgment. But I think we can use this to our advantage as many shinobi leaders have done with the Uchiha clan in the past. So I will be instilling in you a skill that you will find both advantage in offense, defense and to counter your disadvantage in close combat. It was also offer you an outlet for your emotions in battle without jeopardizing your comrades' lives." She explained all of this with her eyes boring into me as if she was measuring my response.

I kept totally still and fought against all my natural instincts to argue, because I would NEVER hurt a comrade. I knew that what Sasuke had done had shaken me up a bit and yes, I wore my heart on my sleeve but I always thought that made me a better shinobi, being able to channel my rage into ninjutsu. I wondered if she was right, however. _Could_ I lose control if someone baited me about Sasuke? Could I hurt someone I loved if the enemy tried to wind me up?

In that moment, I thought over my battle style, how I was always thinking of _proving_ myself and Sasuke together in a fight, _proving_ myself. During missions, I fought with a purpose. I could not kill without feeling the urge to prove, protect or sustain something.

And I knew Lady Tsunade was right.

"I have come up with a perfect solution," she told me calmly, watching the chaos in my eyes as a hard knock rapped on the door behind me. She knew she was right. "Come in!"

Behind me, I heard two sets of footsteps enter the room. I turned to see before me Gai and Rock Lee.

"Gai-sensei! Lee!" I greeted, rushing to hug Lee.

"Aimi, over the next week, you will undergo a grueling regime and you will learn taijutsu."

So here I was, working my butt off to perfect moves like the Leaf Hurricane, to learn my brother's own Lion's Barrage. I picked up taijutsu quickly having been able to copy Lee's own moves with my sharingan. I worked myself to the bone day and night, however, to train my body up for taijutsu. I was already toned, but mastering taijutsu required a whole new level of fitness.

I was a quick learner and for the sake of my friends, I felt I had a reason to learn it. Gai always oversaw our training and he worked me hard with occasional remarks about Kakashi's inferior training methods.

It had been a week and I was getting the hang of it but we had been at it all day and the sun was getting pretty low.

As if on cue, Gai-sensei stepped forward and said, "Maybe we should call it a day, guys? That was some good work today, Aimi, Lee." He struck the good guy pose and Lee practically fainted in his reverence for his role model.

"Thank you, sensei," I panted heavily, collapsing onto my butt, completely wiped out as I fell onto my back and stared up at the sky, glorious in its sunset. "Lee, you are too much."

"Thank you, Aimi. You yourself have developed some very impressive taijutsu skills in this past week," he responded, his voice revealing none of his fatigue as he came to stand next to me where I lay on my back on the ground.

After I'd gotten my breath back, Lee offered to accompany me back to Sakura's and we walked, chatting enthusiastically in the sunset, full of "the power of youth" as he put it. We were both excited about our training. Lee was excited to test himself against the sharingan, just as he had with my brother so long ago, and I just wanted to better myself.

Sakura let me in her house, her parents both away tonight and we bid Lee farewell. We spent the night watching television in her room. I slept on the floor next to her bed and slowly the oppressive blue light lulled me into a state of unconsciousness and I fell asleep with a pang in my heart for Sasuke and my arms around Gaara's teddy. It was the only thing I had for comfort. It was beginning to surprise me how much I really did _miss_ the Sand Siblings. Lady Tsunade was right.

It was hard being here without Sasuke. But it was harder being here with Gaara.

I awoke the next morning to an empty room, Sakura apparently haven awoken before me and gone downstairs. I yawned and stretched like a cat as the sound of indistinguishable voices floated up to me from the kitchen. So why was it so hard being here?

For one, it was the pretending I was okay, pretending I didn't care that he'd gone, that I wasn't so angry I could _kill_ somebody. Everyone was depending on me to uphold my name with honor and I was trying so hard but I was so goddamn lonely.

_The last Uchiha,_ I thought wryly, rolling onto my side with a bitter glare at the wall. I felt the pressure here, the pressure to be better than my brothers, to override the evil and hatred that had begun to consume them. More than that, it was pretending that my self-esteem hadn't taken a blow, pretending that honor wasn't the last thing on my mind.

The truth was, the fact that Sasuke had left without even telling me had left a hole in my heart. It had left me wondering why I wasn't good enough for him to stay, or for him to even offer for me to go with him.

_No_, _don't think like that_, I thought, silently reprimanding myself. I knew I wouldn't have gone with him had he offered and I would've done everything in my power to stop him but I thought we were closer than one condescending letter and a deafening silence.

Gaara, Temari and Kankuro had been there to heal the broken pieces, they'd dragged me through this kicking and screaming and I knew I wasn't fully over this, I wasn't sure I ever would be. But the truth was, as weak as I felt admitting it to myself; I would've felt more content if they were here.

Was I lonely? HERE? In the Leaf Village? I had thought it would be great returning and seeing everyone and it was. But something was missing, someone. Three someones. And particularly Gaara.

He was getting right under my skin, that guy. I was in way too deep to even pretend it was nothing and my heart jumped sporadically as I thought of the contours of his chest, the dazzle in his emerald orbs, his tiny smirk when I teased Kankuro or when he caught me looking at him.

The thought of seeing him again and challenging him with taijutsu made something in my chest go tight because the truth was, I really wanted to impress him. Suddenly, a memory drifted into my head, yhe memory of feel of his arms wrapped around me and his lips on mine. A sudden shock shot through me like a thousand volts of electricity, right to my core as I remembered his growl when I tugged at his hair and he only held me tighter. I remembered his holding me so tightly that it _should _have hurt but I only remember wanting him to hold me tighter, to claim me, to own me even.

_I'm such a freak, _I thought wondering vaguely if I was a masochist or if I just had issues as I got up. I showered with haste, blaming my Uchiha blood for my slight sadism. _Maybe it's just because I'm a girl. All girls like guys to be strong and stuff. And God knows most women would want Gaara of the Desert to hold them as tightly as he held me._

I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast, still lost in my own contemplative thoughts and smirking rather impishly about our couch escapades. I'd be going training again today and getting my ass handed to me by Lee but I'd get stronger everyday under the beating sun and the steady pulse of Lee's attacks.

Before me were Sakura and Shikamaru, sat drinking tea at the coffee table. They were both wearing mirroring expressions of seriousness with frantic eyes as Shikamaru poured over a scroll. The handwriting upon it was scruffy and frantic as if written in a rush. It was then that I knew something was wrong.

"What's up, guys?" I said, half greeting them, half concerned. Their eyes snapped to me; they hadn't even noticed me, they were so wrapped up. "You both look a little tense." I walked over to the kitchen counter and poured myself my own cup of tea, waiting to find out what was going on. It couldn't have been that serious or they would've woken me up.

"Sakura, you go. I'll explain it to Aimi, you need to go and meet Shino, Neji and Hinata," Shikamaru ordered in all his chunin glory. She nodded and left, picking up her weapons pouch on her way out. I stared after her, surprised that she hadn't so much as said good bye.

As if reading my mind, Shikamaru explained, "She's late as it is, she needs to get going." I nodded and sat in her place. He gestured to the scroll, where he'd made notes on the eleven genin in Kurenai, Asuma, Gai and Kakashi's teams and a rough sketch of something I couldn't make out. It looked like the layout of a landscape.

"Anyway, I have a mission for you, Aimi. What do you know about the Village of Artisans?"

* * *

**Author's Note: So we're up to the Ultimate Weapon Arc, nearly at Shippuden. I don't think I'll be having a major timeskip since it'll be interesting to see how Aimi and Gaara's relationship progresses and how he gets to be Kazekage. **

**Also, sorry for the uneventful chapter but I will be posting TOMORROW NIGHT AT 10PM GMT.  
**

**The main reason for this Author's Note is because I NEED A FAVOR FROM MY READERS. We're going to do a deal, guys, okay? I'm going to recommend you some great GaaraxOC fics I've read and could you leave a review and just let me know one you've read that is really great?**

**It could even be a GaaraxSakura or GaaraxHinata as long as it's not AU or whatever. **

**So yeah REVIEW AND LEAVE ME A RECOMMENDATION FOR A GAARA FIC I CAN READ.**

**Also, if you do, I'll give you a SHOUTOUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. BRIBERY.**

_**So these are the good ones I've read in order of my favorites– (they're all on and they're all GaaraxOC)**_

**Second Chances by Kita Kudai – this story is just incredible. It's 90 chapters long and it'll be among the best pieces of literature you ever read. And I'm actually serious. You **_**must **_**read it.**

**Arranged Love by Faith Callaway – An arranged marriage story. You'll be gripped.**

**Desert Phoenix by OliviaMonroe – An epic story with a really interesting main character and **_**lemons**_**. **

**Shadow of the Day by This Girl's On Fire – It's pretty good and very interesting.**


	17. Chapter 17

**_DISCLAIMER - I own nothing! Do they have crumpets in America? I put nutella on mine.  
_**

******__************_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language_**. Blame Aimi.  


******_Aimi: What's with this senseless bullying in the disclaimer of late?!_**

* * *

_Your name has echoed through my mind_

_and I just think you should, think you should know_

_that nothing safe is worth the drive and I will_

_follow you, follow you home._

_- **Taylor Swift, Treacherous**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

So I was to be in kunoichi mode if Shikamaru was quizzing me like this. "Only that they're brilliant weapons makers. I've heard the majority of the jonin and chunin are looking into something about it from Gai," I relayed.

"Apparently a group called the Four Celestials from there went to the Sand Village academy, challenged someone we know rather well and took a girl hostage," Shikamaru explained, measuring my response very carefully.

"Who was it?" I asked, my heartbeat beginning to pick up as an inkling grew in my mind. I wasn't to be surprised by his answer.

"Gaara."

"Gaara? Why?" I asked, my voice weak as I feared for the boy who had my affections.

"We're not sure yet. The four challenged him and took his student, a young girl, hostage and then took off. They headed to the Land of Rivers and right now, only Temari, Kankuro and Gaara are in pursuit. That's all we have to go on. Lady Tsunade wants me to set up an operation to track down these clowns who seem to be using the hostage as leverage for the real prize."

"So what they're really after is Gaara?" I asked, clutching my cup of tea tighter, possessive emotions and anger flaring up inside me. _They wouldn't touch him. I wouldn't let anyone near him._

"It seems so. I've sent Sakura, Shino, Neji and Hinata out already and I'm now setting up a group to give chase. So I'm assigning you to this mission." He really did have this chunin squad leader thing down.

"Okay. I was supposed to be training with Lee-"

"Lee'll be coming on this mission, as will a lot of the genin in the village, so don't worry about that," he interrupted, getting to his feet and heading for the door. He seemed to be in a hell of a rush. "I know it's a drag but I really have to get going and gathering people up. We're supposed to be on the road in 15 minutes and there are still a few people I need to call up. I'll meet you at the gate in 15 minutes, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed, also getting to my feet as he opened the door and looked out onto the street.

"And Aimi?"

"Yeah?"

"As the only other chunin, consider yourself my second in command." And with that, he shut the door behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, I was stood at the front gates with Shikamaru, Kiba, Lee, Choji and Ino.

"Hey, Aimi. What's with you being here? You're practically a sand villager now," Kiba mocked, a flirtatious smirk on his face. He was clearly searching for banter.

"Hey, technically since I'm a chunin and you're not, you're my subordinate so PIPE DOWN, YOU MAGGOTS!" I shouted, in a perfect Anko impression that earned me a hearty chuckle from everyone. Akamaru barked happily from his position in Kiba's coat.

We waited around a little more at the front gate until impatience finally got the better of Choji. "I thought I was always the late one. What're we waiting for?"

"We're still waiting for one more," Shikamaru said stoically, exuding leadership. I'd never noticed this in him before.

"Oh no, don't tell me it's-" Ino began, only to be cut off by distinct yelling behind us.

"Sorry!" Naruto shouted, running towards us. He came to a stop by Shikamaru's side, a wide grin on his face. Nothing bothered Naruto. "Couldn't leave on a mission on an empty stomach so I stopped by Ichiraku for a bite to eat!"

"No, that's no fair! How come you get to eat?!" Choji protested wildly, balling up his fists in his frustration.

"Alright!" Shikamaru called, gaining everyone's attention. "Now that everyone's finally arrived, let's get moving!"

"Huh? What?! You gotta be kidding! I heard this was some big mission and all the genin in the village had been assigned to it!" Naruto argued, looking around wildly as if he'd find more ninja hiding in the trees.

"Everyone is here who's supposed to be," Shikamaru told him calmly, however his eyes revealed that his patience was wearing a little thin.

"Oh, that's messed up! I mean, I know Sakura has training and all, but what about Shino, Neji and Hinata? Shouldn't they be here?"

"That's true," Kiba conceded. "I notice that Akamaru and I are the only ninja here with any scouting abilities."

"So what you have organized is a no nonsense, take action group of ninja," Lee concluded.

"That's right. In fact, I'm calling this team return the favor," Shikamaru declared, earning raised eyebrows from us all.

"That's so lame," Naruto said, pulling his face and trying hard not to visibly cringe, it seemed.

"You guys remember when the Sasuke incident went down?" There it was again. _His _name. It didn't hurt as much as usual with everyone around. "The Sand Village was right there to help us out. So now we're returning the favor. You got a problem with that?"

Suddenly, Naruto jumped into action, punching the air. "Come on, guys! Let's go return us a favor from a long time ago!"

I felt everyone cringe once again. This was turning into quite an awkward gathering. "In case you've forgotten, you're not in charge." Kiba shot Naruto down bluntly, Akamaru barking his agreement.

"We'll take our orders from Shikamaru, _the squad leader. _Or at least, Aimi. They're the _only chunins_," Choji said.

"Whatever. But we gotta hurry up and decide on a plan so we can get going? _Whaddaya think_?" Naruto was getting very excited. "Should we use the same strategy as when Sasuke left?"

_Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. _

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "There are definitely similarities to the Sasuke incident. However, I believe that this pursuit and ambush will require different tactics. The trail's cold, so Byakugan and Akamaru's nose won't be as much help this time."

"I hadn't thought about that," Ino admitted, looking a little lost.

"I know it's unconventional but we'll break up into three squads and you'll work together as a single unit. You don't leave your partner under any circumstances. We'll pay back our debt to the Sand Village but I don't intend to pay it with our lives. You all need to watch yourselves out there."

"Right," Naruto agreed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

We set off then, tearing through the lush forest, the sounds of birds chirping and animals grazing, hunting, _living _all around us. The sun shone lazily in the cyan sky and we were free. We were so free.

"So are we in two squads of two and one of three?" I asked, from Shikamaru's right, in position of second in command.

"Sharp as always, Aimi," Shikamaru complimented. "Ino, you'll be with me!"

"You got it."

"Choji, you go with Kiba!" Shikamaru ordered, gesturing to where Choji and Kiba were travelling, side by side.

"I'm counting on you, Choji! Let's go," Kiba said, flashing Choji a toothy grin.

"Alright!" Everyone was enthusiastic, excited. I myself was beginning to get excited at the thought of seeing Gaara again, whilst feeling slightly nervous about the prospect of him getting hurt. But I had nothing to fear and I knew it. Gaara could look after himself, he was a big boy and easily one of the strongest people I knew.

"Aimi, you're with Lee and Naruto!"

"Right," I nodded, falling back to where Naruto and Lee were. I guess Shikamaru put me with Naruto to prevent and counter any knucklehead activity.

"Please refrain from any independent action," Lee requested of Naruto, sounding a little wary. He knew as well as I did that Naruto was prone to independent action.

"You don't have to talk to me like I'm a little kid!" Naruto told him, grinning.

"On the contrary, I think he might have to. Otherwise how would you understand what we were saying?" I teased, earning myself a swift elbow to the ribs from Naruto. "Hey Lee, we can work on our taijutsu!"

Lee nodded. "We can show them how the flower of vitality blooms within us!"

"Lee, where do you get these analogies from?" I asked, a little baffled, speeding up a little to catch up to Shikamaru and place myself at his right hand side.

Of course, I didn't miss Lee's reverent yell of, "Gai-sensei!"

"The four people Naruto mentioned earlier have already gone on ahead," Shikamaru explained, landing on a protruding tree branch. I followed suit.

"Four people? You mean Shino, Neji, Hinata and Sakura?" Naruto asked incredulously, landing behind us.

"Yeah, they've been sent on a different route. They won't be participating in the battle."

"Why not?" I asked, incredulous myself as I cocked my head to the side, folding my arms.

Everyone landed around us and Kiba argued, "Isn't that sacrificing a lot of our firepower?"

"We'll conserve our strength while they search for the enemy," Shikamaru disclosed. "Once the battle begins, they can focus their energy on healing the wounded so that we can keep on fighting. I had to think long and hard about this strategy, and your lives depend on it."

We continued deeper into the forest then, all our minds focused on preparing for the battle ahead. My thoughts went to Gaara. Was he headed into battle as we were right now? Was he still travelling? Was he worried for his student? I began to get a little jealous. How much did his student mean to him? Was she pretty?

I pushed the thought away. It was the same relationship as Kakashi-sensei and I. Since when was I jealous? I hadn't noticed that before. Regardless, the girl was just a student, just a young girl and she was important to Gaara. We would rescue her.

Suddenly, we came to a cliff and we landed in a bunch of trees just by the edge, overlooking the valley below. I was at Shikamaru's right, on his branch at the front.

"What's up, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked from behind us.

"We're gonna wait here for now," Shikamaru declared, watching the valley below intently, waiting for something.

"Wait here?! Are you out of your mind or what? It's no time to be taking a break!" Naruto protested, leaning forward as if he were about to dive into the forest and find_ anyone_ to pick a fight with.

"Put a lid on it, Naruto," Kiba moaned, rolling his eyes at the hyperactive blond. Akamaru barked his approval.

"That's right. Shikamaru's leading this mission. Not you, you knucklehead," Ino said condescendingly.

"Yeah, come on! Get with it. You have to obey your leader, Naruto!" Choji agreed.

"Fine, whatever," Naruto huffed.

"Hey, guys, calm down. His drive can only be a good thing at a time like this. Give him a break, he just wants to help his friends," I said, sticking up for my teammate. That silenced everyone and Naruto gave me a broad grin.

I had his back, I always would, regardless of if his passion was a little too much right now.

"Everyone be on your guard. We're waiting for a signal, it would seem," I ordered. They couldn't tell me to shut up like they did with Naruto. I was second in command and a rank above them. Plus, the fact I wasn't as Ino put it "a knucklehead" earned me a little respect. Everyone did as I asked and readied themselves.

Minutes dragged by and I was starting to get a little restless. Finally, a swarm of bugs rose up from the forest and circled Shikamaru.

"That's it! The news I was waiting for," Shikamaru announced.

"Good! I was starting to cramp up!" Naruto shouted, anticipation amplifying in his tone.

The bugs formed a sentence in front of Shikamaru, and his tone changed. "Well, that's a drag! Things have already gotten started! Alright, Kiba and Choji, take the west forest. Ino and I will take the hills to the north east. Naruto, Aimi and Lee, take the north west forest. We'll operate in three separate back up squads. Ready? Let's begin Operation Return the Favor."

"Right!" was the response from us all.

"Finally, some action!" Naruto shouted, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Move out!" Shikamaru declared and Lee, Naruto and I headed north west, tearing through the forest.

It felt like we'd been running forever.

"Hang on, we're coming, Gaara. We owe you one and we haven't forgotten!" Naruto yelled.

Suddenly, high above our heads, a pillar of -sand? - rose above our heads, heading toward the sky. Gaara stood atop, calm as always, his arms folded while his sand swung a man carrying a flail around like a lasso, while Gaara kept stoic on his pillar, lording over the valley. Suddenly, the sand hurling the man around dissipated and the stranger was sent flying deep into the forest, to a landing that would probably result in his death.

I had been right to think that Gaara had this down.

Or did he?

Suddenly, a huge snaking jet of water shaped like a dragon twisted around his sand pillar and knocked Gaara from his pedestal. And then, he was falling, falling.

"GAARA!" I screamed. That fall could kill him and I pushed myself forward, willing myself to get there but he was still too far, he was so damn far away. The pillar collapsed into the ground below and the impact shook the ground under our feet.

Finally, a clearing came into view. There was that man. I vaguely wondered how he'd survived the fall and then my attention was on Gaara. He was alive, lying on a pile of sand and soaked through.

Lee was faster than I was and he was going to get there first as I begged my legs to carry me faster just as the man with the flail hurled the spiked iron ball toward the one man I truly had passion for.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee cried as he countered the iron ball and sent it flying back at Gaara's attacker.

"The hero always saves the day at the last moment!" I heard Lee declare as he turned to give Gaara the "good guy" pose.

I headed in from behind him, past Gaara, keeping low to the ground as I saw Naruto leap out of the tree to kick Gaara's attacker in the head and yell, "Damn right he does!"

I got to the man half a second after Naruto and lifted my knee up hard in between the man's legs to hit his male tenderness in a way that I don't think was all that fair looking back. He howled in pain.

"Who says the hero has to be a 'he' all the time?" I argued, my display of a man's weak point evident as I put a hand on my hip and turned to where Gaara lay. I winked at him and beamed, fighting off the urge to run to him, embrace him and kiss him passionately. He mustered a warm smile back. It was all I could do to stand with my back to him, ready to protect him at a moment's notice. A week had felt like a very long time.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Gaara!" Naruto shouted to his friend.

"Naruto," Gaara whispered weakly, tearing his eyes from me to Naruto.

"You were there to save our skin when we were chasing after Sasuke, right? Well this is our chance to return the favor. Now get moving, we'll take care of this guy!" Naruto had never seemed more like a hyperactive puppy with his self-assured grin and happy-go-lucky attitude. "You've got a pupil who needs saving, don't you?"

Gaara moved to get up, groaning and I ran to him, foreseeing him fall back. I caught him, the feel of his body calming me. It felt so good to be close to him and yet our reunion was to be smothered by duty, as it always was as a shinobi.

"To think he could press you this far!" Lee said incredulously, watching as Gaara clutched his head in my arms, leaning back into me. Did he feel safe? Did he know I'd protect him?

"Lee!"

"Sakura!"

Sakura ran into the clearing, a large backpack, probably full of medical supplies, on her back. "Go on, leave Gaara in my hands. You should be helping Naruto," she told us, but I said nothing and just held onto him. I trusted Sakura but I _had _to know Gaara was okay, I needed to know he was strong enough. Lee and Naruto could handle this jerk no problem.

"Hey! Sakura!" Naruto shouted, his cheeks flushing as he cried desperately for Sakura's attention.

"Absolutely!" Lee agreed, as Gaara's attacker finally rose to his feet, having recovered from my attack on his misters. "Alright then, allow me to get the ball rolling!"

Sakura's hand glowed green as she raised it to Gaara who warned, "Be careful. His armor can absorb your chakra."

I leaned my chin down to rest in the nook of Gaara's shoulder and I kissed his neck very discreetly, craving his attention a little. I knew his mind was on the battle, however and his slight head tilt to the right to rest next to mine was all the affection I needed. We hadn't openly declared what we were yet to people and he wasn't the type for public displays of affection regardless.

The man with the flail chuckled at Gaara's remark and bragged, "He's right, kid. I'll soak up every bit of it."

Lee hurled himself at the man, launching a solid kick at the armor, sculpted into the face of a tiger. As he did, a blue stream of chakra flowed out of Lee's leg and straight into the tiger's mouth. He was indeed stealing Lee's chakra.

He stumbled back, startled. "I see. So we cannot rely on our usual abilities, can we?"

Naruto leapt forward, aiming punches and kicks at the armor clad Celestial, full of vitality as always. "Gah, who cares? If you're out of chakra, there's always guts!"

"Right. There is a will, there is a way!" Lee agreed, aiming his own series of punches and kicks at the man, carefully avoiding the iron ball at the end of his flail.

I held Gaara tighter. If they were after him and were launching an ambush or this man had another trick up his sleeve, it would be up to me to protect him. Gaara's eyes flickered to me as he took in my anxious expression. He was too weak for the moment to protect himself until Sakura healed him fully.

He turned his head to me then, as if he were going to whisper something in my ear and he kissed my cheek fleetingly, supposedly out of Sakura's view. I rewarded him with a knowing smirk. "You okay, sweetie? What is this girl's name?"

"Matsuri, her name is Matsuri," he replied, his voice still a little weak as Sakura's healing hand glowed emeralds that would've matched his eyes over his body.

"It's going to be okay. We're here to help," I promised. He nodded and my hand brushed his, once again escaping Sakura's notice as she focused on Gaara. She looked up at him then and found him looking back, almost unable to hold his gaze. I knew her problem all too well. His eyes could burn you where you stood. He looked so strong, so sure of himself. And the way he watched your every move, analyzing you in your place all the time, without saying a word, it was almost intimidating.

From above us, a swarm of Shino's bugs wrote a message in the sky, a notification for Sakura.

"Contact from your friends?" Gaara asked.

"Ino is hurt?!" Sakura said, concern for her best friend and fiercest rival evident in her tone.

"Go!" Gaara said, getting to his feet. If he was strong enough to stand up, my job here was done. I needed to get on with the mission. I nodded to him and allowed him to converse with Sakura and headed to join the boys who looked like they weren't doing so well.

I activated my sharingan and joined in the punches and kicks, executing moves Lee had taught me during our taijutsu training, as Sakura left to go and aid Ino. I dodged our opponent's iron ball desperately and landed a direct hit on his shoulder. The man grunted and suddenly, the ball came down to make contact with Lee's side, sending him flying, just as Gaara made his way toward us.

"Bushy Brow!" Naruto cried.

"Hey, pal! No one injures-" a punch, "- my friends-" another punch, "- and gets away with it!" I did a roundhouse kick that was sure to finish him off until he caught my leg, his calloused skin making full contact with the smooth bare skin of my own leg.

_One of these days, I've got to start wearing pants instead of shorts_, I thought vaguely as I tried desperately to twist out of his grasp. His huge hand only held tighter and I tried to leap to kick him with my other leg, only for him to twist the leg he was holding and drop me in a heap on the floor. He laughed sadistically and suddenly, for all to see, for _Gaara _to see, the spiked iron ball was above me, sailing towards my body.

I knew there was no sand to protect me this time; it had been soaked through by that water dragon. I was on my own. I squirmed desperately and tried to throw my body out of harm's way. The spike missed my chest but I saw it heading straight for my calf. It made contact and cut straight through the skin, through the muscle and I screamed in agony, ripping my leg from the flail.

"What the fuck?!" I cried as blood spilled from the wound. The man laughed manically again.

"You see, little girl, that's what happens when you get cocky in front of your boyfriend," he sneered, looking from me, clutching at my ankle to Gaara. I tried to get to my feet, planning to pulverize him, when the pain in my leg stopped me and I collapsed on the ground.

"Aimi, stop!" Naruto shouted, leaping in front of me to shield me.

"Naruto, I don't need protecting!" I cried, cradling my leg, trying to make sure no dirt got into the wound and infected it.

"You're my friend and my comrade. This bully isn't get anywhere near you," he growled, his arms outstretched. I was in awe. I never knew he'd put himself in harm's way for me. The pain in my leg was excruciating and it was all I could do to whisper, "thank you" and not to scream.

I felt Gaara's eyes on me and I refused to meet his gaze, having proved I wasn't quite as indestructible as I once thought I was. Now both Lee and I were out of action. Gaara stepped forward to face off against the man. I could look now. His eyes held pure fury, the rage clear as it came off him in waves.

"Your sand's gone, you little punk. What're you gonna do?" the man asked, his flail at attention.

Gaara stretched out his hand and sand gathered in a long pike, coming from his armor.

"What is he?"

"He's getting sand from his armor," I responded, my eyes on Gaara.

"No way! H-his sand should be waterlogged by now! I absorbed his chakra!" my attacker protested, dumbfounded by Gaara's innovation.

"This is all the weapon I need," Gaara growled, his voice exuding a quiet anger. He hurled the sand pike at the man and it plunged straight through his heart. He fell clumsily, dead. His armor in the end was ineffective.

Gaara panted, fatigued with chakra exhaustion. He fell to his knees and Naruto ran to him.

"Are you okay, Gaara?" he asked.

"Now to end it," Gaara snarled.

He was interrupted by a girlish scream and someone calling, "Gaara-sensei!"

So that was his student. There it was again, the envy. My wound wasn't as deep as I originally thought and I had torn a strip of my tank top off to stem the blood flow but as Naruto said, "Get going, you can leave the rest to us, okay?" I wanted Gaara to give me a second glance.

He did. He shot me a reluctant look and turned to me, where I sat on the floor. "I'll be fine," I said flippantly, full of a blasé attitude. "Go!"

He nodded. He knew I was a much stronger kunoichi than his student and I was tough as old boots. At least, he better have done. He ran towards the sound of the scream then and was out of sight.

I scowled then. _Douchebag. I can't believe he left me_, I thought grumpily, feeling like a petulant child. _Haven't seen him for a week and he hardly says a word to me._

_Still he knows you're tough, Aimi. He knows you can handle yourself. This girl's a ninja trainee and she's been taken hostage, you're just suffering your average leg wound. They could be really hurting her_, a voice in my head argued. My expression softened then as I realized I was right. I was being selfish. This girl needed our help, not my envy. I was filled with renewed vigor to rescue her once Sakura got to my leg.

"Are you two okay? I'm sure Sakura should be back any minute," Naruto assured us as I limped to where Lee was knelt on the ground.

"I'm fine," I growled through the pain, falling on my butt next to my trainer.

"I am alright too," Lee promised.

"Then I'm going after Gaara."

"Good luck to you. I will catch up as soon as possible," Lee said calmly.

"Naruto?" I called just before he could get out of range.

"Yeah?" he said, turning back to me.

"Look after him," I said, looking at the ground to hide my blush. He nodded in my peripheral vision and I saw him run off in the same direction as Gaara.

There was a long silence then, unusual for Lee and I since we'd spent so much time together recently. I felt him watching me and I avoided his eye, studying the broken flesh of my lower leg as if it was enthralling when it was rather more sickening. I wasn't that great with blood.

Then, I heard the sound of voices. Sakura and Ino entered the clearing, the latter looking disheartened. The sight of Lee and myself both down shocked Sakura into action and she rushed to me - I was nearest to her - and got on her knees, her hand directly over my wound with that green glow.

"Lee, are you okay?" Sakura asked, her eyes watching my leg heal up slowly.

He nodded. "I am fine. Tend to Aimi first."

Sakura caught my eye then. "How did you get like this?" Her voice held all the seriousness of a medic.

"Bitch had a spiked iron ball. What do you think?" I teased lightly, grinning at her.

Her face remained stoic and the words she spoke next shocked me. "Aimi, what's going on with you and Gaara?"

I suppressed a gasp. Ino's head shot up and even Lee looked over at us. "W-what do you mean?" I stuttered, fidgeting with my tank top.

"I mean, you and Gaara. I saw the way you were holding him before. I saw him _kiss_ your cheek. What's going on?" she asked. God, she was getting more and more like Tsunade every day.

"Did something happen in the Sand Village?" Ino said excitedly, perking up at the prospect of romance.

"N-no," I began, but with the look on Lee's face, the pure trust and the, the _hope_ in his face, I couldn't lie. "Okay, yes. I guess, I guess there's something there."

Ino squealed and Sakura grinned.

"I knew there was something!" Lee said, grimacing at the pain as he too perked up. "He seems much more content than usual and he did keep looking at you."

"He kept looking at me?" I asked, a little smug.

"He couldn't keep his eyes off you when I was healing him," Sakura agreed, removing her hands from my leg and going to sit by Lee to heal him.

"So, you've tamed Gaara of the Desert, have you, Aimi?" Ino teased, her eyes shining with the illicit fairytale forming in her mind.

"Don't tell anyone, guys," I asked, going to sit at Lee's feet whilst Ino and Sakura sat either side of him. I knew it was a big ask for Ino but I tried any way. "I don't think he wants anyone to know."

"Do you like him?" Sakura asked, too busy checking Lee over to look at me.

I felt my cheeks flush. "Yes. A lot."

"How much?" Ino asked, her interest fading a little as she watched Sakura place her hands over Lee and begin to exert healing chakra.

"Much more than he likes me," I admitted, wondering if he was okay. We would go after him once Lee was all healed up. I felt an urge to go after Gaara myself now but I knew I needed a little time to rest and wait for my muscles to adjust to the healing. I was kind of enjoying finally admitting my feelings to _someone _as well, especially Sakura and Ino. I would've gone to them anyway had I been at home.

"I for one am very happy for you both!" Lee declared from his lying down position, raising his hand and forming a very weak "good guy" pose. "You are both good people and you deserve one another!"

I nodded gratefully and we fell into silence, Ino too preoccupied with Sakura's healing to gather any more information from me about Gaara.

"I'm almost done, I just have to reconnect two or three more muscles," Sakura assured Lee professionally. A moment or two later, she removed her hands and said, "That's it, the treatment's over for now. You two must have been fighting like maniacs to end up in such bad shape."

"Sorry. You saved my life! Now I will be forever in your debt, Sakura," Lee said, the awe in his tone evident. His crush still hadn't dissipated.

She smiled kindly. "I was just doing my job."

Lee sat up and Ino immediately protested. "No! You shouldn't get up yet."

"Stop, Lee. You need to rest a little," I said calmly. I was still second in command of the mission technically.

"As a medical ninja, I forbid you from doing anymore fighting!" Sakura ordered. Yes. _Exactly _like Lady Tsunade.

"No, please let me go!" Lee argued. "I cannot leave Gaara alone out there fending for himself. I must repay the favor he did for us!"

"Lee, you're no use to him without a few minutes of rest, sweetie. Besides, Naruto's gone after him. Naruto'll be all the backup Gaara needs for now, trust me," I assured him. He sighed in frustration but nodded in agreement. We had faith in Naruto.

After around ten minutes of rest, we all got to our feet.

"Well, Aimi? You're second in command so technically you're in charge of this unit. What're we gonna do?" Ino asked.

_Think like Shikamaru, think like Shikamaru._

"We're heading for Gaara," I commanded and we set off. I wondered vaguely if we'd meet up with the others on our way and sure enough, we did.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" I called as Temari, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata and Shino came into view. I fell into the right hand spot by him, greeting Temari with a nudge and a grin.

"So what's the word?" Shikamaru asked.

"We don't know Naruto and Gaara's location," I admitted, pushing hard off tree branches.

"Neji, Hinata! Look ahead and tell me what the situation is!" Shikamaru ordered, oozing leadership.

"There's a large metal cage in the middle of an open canyon and I sense a massive amount of chakra being extracted from it," Hinata explained fearfully.

"All that energy could mean that Gaara's inside," Neji concluded.

_Gaara trapped?_ I pushed harder off my feet, hurrying to the front of the group, just as Shikamaru fell back when Temari called him. I didn't have to be a genius to know she was discussing the Shukaku and the probability of Gaara letting it loose.

I didn't blame her. She was fearful for her brother. We all were.

Finally, we reached the canyon. Gaara was facing off against a man with a strange array of weapons surrounding his body, his long white hair and long cream cloak giving him an ethereal appearance. Only Gaara wasn't Gaara. He was half Gaara, half monster. One half of his body had become disfigured, gruesome and he was drooling. He looked like he was in pain.

"No!" I screamed, rushing forward only to be stopped dead in my tracks.

I couldn't move.

"What the-!" I glanced down at my feet, trying desperately to move them only to see a long shadow stretching from me behind me, out of my sight.

"I don't remember Sasuke being this impulsive," Shikamaru complained, utilizing his Shadow Possession Jutsu. "Look, Aimi, I know you're emotionally involved and this is a drag for me to remind you but you're my second in command and this is me issuing you a direct order. You are_ not _under any circumstances allowed to intervene in this battle until I say otherwise, got it?"

"But the-!"

"No buts," he interrupted. "Promise you'll abide by my orders and I'll let you go."

I growled through gritted teeth. "Fine."

He freed my shadow and for a fleeting moment, I was tempted to run to Gaara and aid him. But I knew I was on a mission and I'd made a promise.

Duty comes first, I told myself. We headed over to where Naruto sat by a girl. She couldn't have been any older than twelve. In truth, she was quite pretty, creamy skin, dark eyes and straight brown hair. She wasn't strikingly pretty but soft somehow. Either way, I was both pleased she wasn't at supermodel standard and that she was safe.

"Naruto!" Sakura and Hinata called to the blond boy sat cross legged over to our left.

"Hinata! Sakura!"

"Matsuri, you okay?" Temari asked, in sensei mode.

"Yes, but Gaara-sensei needs help!" she exclaimed, worry grazing her tone. This was definitely her.

Naruto got to his feet, cuts and bruises all over his body, dirt patches rife on his clothing. "Okay, I'll let you look after her." He began to trudge toward Gaara, his gait slow and desperate. He was clearly badly injured.

"What do you think you're doing Naruto? You're badly hurt! Stay out of it," Sakura warned.

"I can't," Naruto told her firmly.

"Come on, you won't last a minute," she whined, wanting desperately to protect her teammate - our teammate. "At least let me patch you up."

He conceded at that moment and I shook with the effort not to rush in too. I was fully healed now. What were we doing just standing here? Was Shikamaru afraid that Gaara could hurt us? This was no time to leave him with no one. He needed us.

But I knew I couldn't involve myself, I couldn't protect him. I had to follow orders, as was the way of the shinobi. Gaara could take care of himself and I could be stripped of my chunin status or even my headband if I didn't follow orders.

"Things are going to get really ugly, really soon," Temari surmised, her eyes fearful as she watched her brother, his body mutated into half the form of Shukaku facing off against this ethereal floating man, swords and armor galore.

"I was afraid of that," Shikamaru admitted. "Sakura, will you hurry up? It's not like we've got all the time in the world here!"

"Got it! Okay, now hold your hands out," she instructed to Naruto. He did as she said and she began to heal him.

I leaned forward then. "Shikamaru, if we're waiting on Naruto-!"

"No, Aimi! Stay out of this. I'm ordering you to stay out of this for now. We'll see what happens before sending you in," Shikamaru commanded, glaring at me. "Look, I don't have all that much chakra left but I _will_ use every last bit of it to keep you on the sidelines."

"But, how come Naruto-?!"

"Aimi, quiet!" he snapped harshly. He saw my hurt expression and apologized, his eyes melting into a kindness. "Look, I'm sorry, but my job is to assess tactics and strategy carefully. Naruto isn't as worked up about this as you are and we need to face this situation with a clear head. If you want a chance of helping out, you _need_ to calm down."

I nodded and watched the standoff but I couldn't shake off the anxiety. I wanted to go and throw myself in there. Everything inside me was telling me to go and protect him yet here I was under orders from someone else.

"That one called himself Seimei and said he was the founder of the Village of Artisans," Matsuri explained in response to Neji's analysis on his chakra. "He said he'd been reborn as the ultimate ninja tool."

"Lousy thief is what he is! He's stealing Gaara's chakra!" Naruto growled from his spot on the ground, where he was being healed by Sakura.

"Come to think of it, the enemy we faced wore a similar sort of armor, with the power to absorb one's chakra," Lee surmised, thinking back to the man with the tiger sculpted armor.

"Hmm, armor that feeds on chakra. We must be very careful. We can't just rush in," Shino warned, having analyzed the situation himself.

"Yeah, but we gotta do something," Shikamaru said, stiffening next to Temari who watched on with eyes full of worry for her baby brother.

I watched too, praying he could win, praying he could fight off his inner demon. Suddenly, the monstrous arm collapsed into a pile of sand and Gaara's face scrunched up in the effort to relinquish the hold his demon had over him.

"Gaara!" I shouted, rooted to the spot, my words echoed by Naruto.

"Look, he's returning to normal!" Matsuri shouted.

"Thank God," I sighed, exhaling my worry. He could do this without the Shukaku.

"But how? What happened?" Naruto asked, a little clueless.

"He stopped it. He's using all his strength to fight off the transformation," Temari explained, leaning forward herself, unconsciously preparing to rush to Gaara's aid.

"But why? He'll need every advantage he can get if he's gonna beat that guy," Shikamaru said.

"That may be but even so, he's chosen to depend on his own powers, not that of the monster within him which he knows he can't control," Kankuro elucidated, watching on with fear.

"He can do this," I vowed. "I know Gaara and he can do this." Everyone looked at me and nodded, just as three twisting snake-like dragons, weapons of the man named Seimei levitating above the ground, attacked Gaara and he leapt out of the way just in time. We could hear muffled conversation but not their actual words and I was anxious to hear what they were.

I felt nervous watching, seeing the tears in his clothing, the blood seeping from his wounds.

Suddenly, I heard Gaara yell his trademark, "Sand Tsunami!" and the canyon began to collapse as a tsunami of sand rose up from the earth. We leapt to a ledge just out of the way thinking Seimei was finished. However, the reborn human rose from the depths of the sand in a swirl of wind and the eyes of his armor flashed.

"He's draining the last of Gaara's chakra!" Neji cried, his Byakugan activated.

"Gaara-sensei!"

"That does it!" Naruto said, both of us stepping forward at the same time.

"I'm going in," I declared.

"Me too!" Naruto agreed.

"Stay out of it!" Shikamaru ordered from his spot by, surprise surprise, Temari.

"Stay out of it? What're you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"We can't just stand here and let him do that, we've_ got _to help! This is ridiculous!" I backed him up ferociously, reaching my last straw.

"Look, you'll only be getting in the way. And Gaara is stronger than you think," Temari told us both. I grimaced, holding back at the look on her face.

_Yeah, Gaara can be as strong as he wants but with no chakra left..._ I thought, looking to him. Truthfully, he didn't look all that worried.

In fact, he lifted his right hand up and yelled, "Shukaku's Pike!" A large pike with what could only be described as a claw-like end covered in crimson marking formed in his hand, the rock hard sand glittering like diamonds. He hurled it straight at the man named Seimei, penetrating deep into his body. His fall was that of disgrace as he was left prey to the sand as it swallowed him up.

"Giant Sand Burial!" Gaara shouted. I heard the cries of "Gaara-sensei beat him!" and "Alright!" but I did not see them for I was already sprinting to him, I was almost there, almost touching him. He turned to me, a shadow of a smile on his face before he grimaced and I watched him falling, falling, like he did before. I caught him just before he hit the ground, his head in my lap.

The others were not far before as my heart pounded, terrified that he was in trouble. Sakura checked the pulse in his neck and declared, "He's alright. He's just exhausted from having to use so much of his chakra."

"To think, he was able to suppress Shukaku and do it all on his own," Temari uttered watching her brother, his beautiful face at peace. He was beautiful and I stared down at him, at his black eyelids, his perfectly chiseled face, his unruly mess of scarlet hair. I couldn't believe in that moment that he had once growled, "Mine," in my ear.

"Yeah," Kankuro whispered, gazing at his brother too, where Naruto and I leaned over him. He muttered something else then and Naruto and I turned to him.

"Huh? What did you say?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, nothing at all," Kankuro replied innocently. Naruto merely looked confused but I thought I caught it.

"I guess you finally found people who understand you, didn't you?"

Gaara, Kankuro, Temari and I stood outside the Hokage's office patiently. It had been three days since our run in with the Four Celestials and we'd been summoned to the Hokage's office. I fidgeted nervously with the sleeves of my new outfit, a skintight black jumpsuit with a zip running up the middle of my torso right to my throat. It was a little bit provocative but hey, I needed some protection for my legs. It was starting to get colder here in the Leaf Village.

Gaara shot me a look that clearly said, "Aimi-stop-fidgeting-you're-driving-me-crazy" and I stuck my tongue out at him and stared at the door, waiting to be called in. I had learned to read his facial expressions perfectly and seeing as I almost lost him a few days ago, I gave in to him a little faster than I normally would have done. He gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand. He was here. We were here together.

Finally, the order came. "Come in!" a warm voice said. Definitely Shizune.

We entered into the familiar office, Tsunade sat in her usual spot. She nodded to all four of us.

"I'm going to cut to the chase. I called all four of you in for a reason. Aimi, how would you feel about becoming a Sand Village citizen?"

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**Author's Note: YOU DECIDE HER ANSWER. REVIEW and tell me what you want her to say!**

**I'll have updated by 10pm GMT next Saturday, I promise.**

**So until then, REVIEW and tell me what you want Aimi to say, it's totally up to you. **

**And recommend me Gaara fics! **


	18. Chapter 18

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do _not _own Naruto. I will hunt down Masashi Kishimoto and gut him like a fish if he kills off Gaara in this "Five Kage vs Madara" thing he's got going on. WATCH OUT, KISHIMOTO.__  
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**********_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language.  
_**

**********_Aimi: Also, my outfit change makes me at least PG-13 now, right?_**

**********_rainbowweekend: *sigh* Are you actually saying these words?_**

* * *

_Never dreaming what we'd have to go through._

_Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing_

_at the beginning with you._

_No one told me I was going to find you._

_Unexpected, what you did to my heart._

_**Richard Marx & Donna Lewis, At The Beginning**_

* * *

**Gaara's POV**

We had spent the past three days in the Leaf Village re-cooperating.

Kankuro and Temari had been practically inseparable from Kiba and Shikamaru, the two they had bonded with the most out of the Leaf ninja. I had noticed the faint blush in Temari's cheeks around Shikamaru once more and the wry smile he gave her when she teased him. I was certain there was something there.

As for Aimi, she stayed with us in the temporary accommodation we always rented when we were here. She still couldn't face going back to the apartment she and Sasuke used to share. Even his name startled her a little and her eyes went blank when he was mentioned, as if becoming nothing was better than feeling something for the raven-haired missing nin. Every night, I felt her anger and pain dissipate into disdain and disgust at her brother from the tears I heard her cry in the night whilst I sat on the roof. She always left her screen door open. But she loved him, she would always love him. That was why she couldn't go back in that apartment and why she clutched me a little tighter when we embraced whenever we were in the Leaf Village. To be here was painful for her.

Matsuri, on the other hand, had been practically overcome with excitement since arriving here; she had never been outside of the Sand village and she wasn't even a genin yet so this was a travel opportunity for her. Our days were numbered here now and now that I'd recovered from chakra exhaustion, we were due to leave. Matsuri had decided to take a final dip in the hot springs with the Leaf village kunoichi whilst we were called into the Hokage's office.

It had been troubling me for a while that this meeting had been called for the sole purpose of dismissing Aimi's current arrangement whereby she stayed with us for three months and then came home to review it. But I was to be wrong.

Here we were, with the Hokage saying, "I'm going to cut to the chase. I called all four of you in for a reason. Aimi, how would you feel about becoming a Sand Village citizen?"

I was not one to be caught off guard but I felt myself waiting with bated breath for Aimi's response. I could see Temari and Kankuro doing the same thing out of the corner of my eye.

A civilian of the Sand? She'd be one of us. I'd never be lonely again. She'd truly be a part of us. I could have a home of which she would belong to.

"Lady Tsunade, w-what, what do you mean?"

Typical unpredictable Aimi. Usually she's pretty intelligent and then when she's asked a simple question, she loses it. I should've known she'd do say like this, end up surprising us and leave us hanging onto her every word. In a very strange way, it was as if she radiated some sort of omniscient innocence, a total surrender to the will of how she felt but a refusal to allow dark emotions to devour her. It was one of the things that I loved about her.

_Loved?_

"I'm asking if you would like to become a Sand citizen. A few of the jonin over there have expressed interest in you becoming a citizen. I have personal feelings on the matter myself, but it would come down mostly to how you feel." The Hokage finished her sentence almost bitterly as she looked at Aimi who had frozen on the spot. Her Leaf headband pinned to her left arm seemed to stand out a little more against her new leather catsuit. I certainly appreciated _that_, the swell of her curves so evident in it.

No one spoke; everyone was waiting for the girl in between us. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the Hokage, utterly dumbfounded. What was she thinking?

"Aimi, for god's sake, if you stay like that, you'll catch flies!" Kankuro exploded, unable to handle the silence. She shut her mouth and muttered an apology.

"Lady Hokage, with all due respect, may I decline your offer?" she finally said politely.

I felt the simultaneous inaudible gasps, rather than hearing them. Didn't she want to be with us?

"Hmm. And why would that be?" Lady Tsunade asked humorously, watching the girl. It seemed the Hokage was also perplexed.

"Because part of my ninja way is to prove that love conquers power and hate. And the other part is to restore the virtue and honor of my clan. My clan is of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I can't very well do that as a citizen of another land. I know I've taken a hiatus from the village, I guess, and I will continue our three month arrangement, but I have friends here, my home is here and my heart is here."

Lady Tsunade gave a rare smile, one that reached her amber eyes and lit up her youthful face. "I see. Well, I can't say I'm not relieved. Because, Aimi, you set a wonderful example to others as a kunoichi. Your mother and father would be extremely proud of you."

Aimi beamed then and in her eyes, I saw a tear threatening to spill over. She was pretty quick to cry. Every time Kankuro and I watched a romantic comedy with Temari and Aimi, she was the first to tear up. When she heard a sad song on the radio, she could blubber for the next hour without restraint. Her emotions were so volatile, so close to the surface yet they were the driving force in why she was such a successful kunoichi. This was even more ironic due to the fact that as shinobi, we were supposed to be emotionless, particularly in the Sand village.

_She wouldn't do well as a sand shinobi for that very reason._

I could feel myself growing bitter, taking it personally that she'd said no, like she'd personally rejected me. _We_ were her friends. I was her... wasn't I? Was I?

Didn't she have a home with _us_? Hadn't I just thought about making a home with her?

_Weak_ I heard a crazed, wild, bloodthirsty voice whisper in my head and I gasped audibly. Everyone's eyes shot to me. _He_ wasn't back, was he?

Ever since Aimi had been around and I'd been happy, he'd been silenced, happy with the sexual aspect of mine and Aimi's relationship to keep his thirst satiated. But now there was that cutting knife of pain in my chest and I wondered if Aimi knew what she was doing to us.

As Tsunade spoke with Kankuro, Temari and Aimi about the progress Aimi had made and about "suitable living arrangements" and "influx of culture" I wallowed in the oncoming pain. She couldn't do this. What about all the kisses under the caress of the evening sun? What about those murmurs of affections under the weight of stuffy heated air?

_You're getting carried away_, I reminded myself. _It's because of her family, like she said. She's tied to the Leaf.  
_  
And she was. She was tied to the Leaf in a way I couldn't understand because I was still learning to respect and love the village I came from. I wasn't much closer to _gaining_ respect from the village than I had when I spent nights rampaging through the streets yet here Aimi was having a casual conversation with the Hokage of her own village, laughing and joking about the quality of dango in the Sand.

"Gaara, what is your opinion on Aimi's situation?" the Hokage asked suddenly, completely out of the blue. I felt everyone's eyes on me, including Aimi's and I hastened to reply.

"I think it's good. I enjoy training with her and she has a positive influence on my siblings' growth also," I responded stiffly.

"Hey, is that all?" Aimi teased, right on cue with that grin, all white teeth, rosy lips and bright eyes.

"And she's a pleasure to be around," I added, feeling my own smile tug my lips upwards as I looked at her. I felt her reach for my hand at that moment and I couldn't stop myself squeezing it once again.

_Mine._

But she's part of the Leaf Village's too.

Her heart was spread across many people, many things and now two lands. But I _wanted_ her to want me, I _needed_ her to need me. I could see her appreciation and her joy at my words.

_Joy._

Tsunade glanced down at our joined hands with a smirk, saying nothing. She nodded at us in acknowledgment and instructed, "Well, this all seems to be in order. I'll see you in three months."

"Lady Tsunade, you'll be seeing us much sooner than that," Aimi declared, smirking right back. "The next Chunin exams are coming up in two months!"

"That's right. I can expect the three sand siblings to attend, can't I?" Tsunade asked, smiling a little more formally at the three of us from a foreign land.

"Bet on us, m'am. We'll be chunin by the end of it, no doubt," Kankuro promised confidently.

"Kankuro!" Temari scalded.

"What?"

"This is the Hokage! You can't just speak to her like that!"

"On the contrary, confidence is a great thing. Just make sure to bring Aimi with you," the Hokage uttered.

"We will," I stated, nodding assuredly. With that, we excused ourselves and went to meet Matsuri.

As we walked along the boulevard, Aimi suddenly perked up. "Hey, isn't today the day that Naruto leaves?"

"Yeah?" Kankuro said, bemused.

"Crap! I thought it was. He's going for two years! I have to say goodbye! We can't go yet!" she declared, turning in the opposite direction.

"Aimi, where are you going?!" Temari called after her, watching her begin to retreat.

"I know exactly where he'll be! I'll meet you all at the west gate in twenty minutes, I promise!" she yelled back, rounding a corner and disappearing from view.

We all glanced at each other and kept moving, headed for the Leaf Village's hot springs.

"So she's staying a Leaf citizen, huh?" Temari said, her eyes sliding to me, by her side, gouging my reaction. She should know me better than that by now.

"You can't really expect anything more from her. She's proud of where she comes from and who she is. Could you renounce the Sand, Temari?" Kankuro was looking specifically at his older sibling rather than at me probably because he thought my answer might be different had he asked me.

"Probably not, no," Temari admitted, sounding defeated as she sighed at the ground.

"Besides, Aimi has all of that stuff with her brothers to prove. I think she feels it's her responsibility to keep that last thread between her clan and this village strong. After all, she's the only one who hasn't given in to... well, bad stuff," Kankuro added, tailing off at the end. He couldn't manage the word "evil" or "darkness". It probably seemed too real.

"She's a good girl," Temari said wistfully as we reached the hot springs and found Matsuri waiting, right by that boy, Shikamaru.

"This boy says he's coming to see us off and say goodbye!" Matsuri announced. Since her run in with Seimei, she seemed more confident and I was proud to see my student growing before my eyes.

"It's a drag but they're orders, I guess," Shikamaru said, addressing Temari as if he were trying to prove something.

She smiled at him and we continued on to the west gate.

"Gaara-sensei?" Matsuri asked as we walked.

"Yes?"

"Where's Aimi? Is she coming too?"

Matsuri and Aimi were very odd. They had built up a genuine friendship but occasionally Matsuri would ask strange questions when Aimi was absent about her whereabouts and when Aimi would return, she was prone to giving Matsuri a long look that I couldn't read.

When I asked Temari about it, she merely sighed, smirked and remarked, "For someone so strong, you really are clueless, Gaara."

"She's saying goodbye to Naruto and then she'll meet us at the gate," I replied to Matsuri in monotone. This would be hard on Aimi saying goodbye to Naruto. He was one of her very best friends. New beginnings were rife in this village and Aimi was of no exception.

We finally reached the gate, Temari and Shikamaru submerged in banter, trying to win a battle of words.

Aimi was already there, leaning on the wall, with her arms folded, looking incredible. I had always known it but this catsuit really did something for me. It hugged her figure tightly and she had the zip open just at her chest so there was a hint of cleavage visible between the waterfall of tumbling dark hair that fell just under her full breasts. I could see the guards at the post leering at her and as we neared her, I felt such a strong urge to go to her and wrap my arms around her waist. I wanted to kiss her softly, sweetly so the guards would know she was mine.

"So did you find him?" Temari asked as Aimi pushed off the wall and walked to meet us.

She smirked. "Of course I did. I'm not his best friend for nothing. Although, to tell you the truth, a monkey could've found him."

"Ichiraku ramen?" Shikamaru guessed.

"_With_ Iruka-sensei too," Aimi replied, amusement in her hazel eyes.

"That guy never changes. It'll be weird without you and Naruto around. And now Sakura'll be cooped up learning medical ninjutsu. I'm gonna miss the old Team Seven," Shikamaru said nostalgically.

Aimi looked down at the ground then and her eyes shadowed. She gave him a watery smile in response and murmured, "Me too."

We all headed out onto the road then, Shikamaru and Temari teasing each other once again.

"Well, bye."

"Goodbye."

"See you soon, you big crybaby."

As we walked away, suddenly we noticed that there were just three of us. I turned back and saw Matsuri and Aimi had turned back. Aimi stood next to Shikamaru, frozen to the stop as she had been in the Hokage's office.

"Will you please tell Naruto something?" Matsuri was asking him.

"Huh?"

"Tell him that thanks to him, I finally understand what Gaara-sensei was trying to tell me. Thank him for teaching me the value of true effort and dedication."

I smiled at her words. Maybe I was cut out for the teacher thing, for leadership. I couldn't claim all the praise though. Like she said, it was all thanks to Naruto.

Shikamaru looked disgruntled and nodded. "Great, another Naruto fan," he complained, breaking Aimi out of her trance and making her giggle, just as Matsuri caught up to us. We didn't move. We waited for Aimi, our comrade.

"My lazy genius," Aimi lilted as she wrapped her arms around the boy with the ponytail and the cunning eyes. He hugged her right back, holding her the way I'd seen Sasuke hold her and it looked right.

"You better be back for the Chunin exams so I have someone to sit with in the audience, other than the old guys," he said to her, causing her to giggle once again.

"Like I'd leave you with them. That'd be _such a drag_," she claimed, doing a perfect Shikamaru impression.

"You are _so_ troublesome," he murmured back, rolling his eyes at her and letting her go. "I'll see you soon."

She nodded at him and let out a huge sigh. "See you, Shikamaru."

She turned then and began walking toward us, smiling, her hair billowing around her.

"You'll be back pretty soon, Aimi," Temari told her as she reached us, trying to comfort her friend.

"I know."

That night, as everyone drifted off to sleep by the dying campfire, I contemplated what Aimi had said about her heart being in the Leaf.

_Weak_. The voice in my head repeated. _Look how weak you have become without blood. And all for an impulsive young girl and a knucklehead genin.  
_  
I looked down from the silver moon at her sleeping form from my perch on a low tree branch. I could be counted to be on nocturnal watch since it wasn't like I would get any sleep anyway. She was shaking and sweating, murmuring senseless words in her nightmare. This was the norm. This was why she was always up last, because of her nightmares.

"No. No, Sasuke," she murmured in her sleep, rolling onto her side so her whole body faced me. "Come home. It'll be enough, I promise. I'll be better."

My heart broke at the tear tracks on her face, the pain in her voice and I felt my brow furrow as I realized I was powerless to stop the pain.

And then suddenly, her face softened, the creases in her face disappearing as something changed.

"Gaara."

It hit me as hard as it did in the hospital. She was dreaming about _me_.

"Gaara? Gaara, make it go away, make it stop." Her voice rose in anxiety as she begged me in her subconscious to end the torment.

"Gaara, make him go away," she whined. "Please. Please. Gaara, I need you to make him go away." She was getting louder. If she continued this, she'd wake everyone else up.

I leapt off the tree branch and knelt by her, watching her face contort again as she slept poorly.

"Gaara!" she finally yelled, her eyes flying open, sitting bolt upright and panting. She let out a small shriek then as she saw me next to her and I put a hand over her mouth to cut her off.

"You're going to wake the others," I hissed, more coldly than I meant to. She panted and said nothing, looking down at her hands in amazement. Without warning, tears spilled down her face and she began to sob silently.

"What were you dreaming about?" I asked, gathering her up in my arms and pulling her into my lap. No one was listening; they were all asleep. Their steady breathing told me that. She didn't resist and practically collapsed in my arms, resting her head on my chest, her hair tickling my chin.

"Nothing," she lied in a timid voice.

"Aimi, you sleeptalk," I told her gently, wrapping my arms tighter around her, trying to protect her. But the threat was not coming from external forces; it was coming from her mind.

She paused and nestled closer to me. For a moment, I thought she'd fallen asleep but then she spoke. "Orochimaru. It was Orochimaru," she whispered in a hushed tone. "He was coming after me and I was... I was asking you to help me and..." She burst into tears again and sobs wracked her frame.

"Shh. Aimi, shh," I soothed. "I won't let anyone hurt you. I want to protect you."

Her crying subsided then and she looked up at me in shock, her eyes searching mine for something in the moonlight and the slight orange glow of the dying embers of the fire. "You-you mean it?"

Didn't she know by now? Didn't she know by now that she was important to me? I nodded sharply.

She relaxed into my chest again. "You've changed, Gaara of the Desert," she murmured, facing the fire, doing a quick handsign and whispering, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

She exhaled, creating a small ball of fire onto the flames we'd already lit and brought the fire up to full throttle again. She was right, I had changed.

"You used to be bloodthirsty and angry and full of hate," she surmised, staring into the flames. "And now you're nearly happy. I know you've got a long way to go and it's hard with the people in the village and at the academy but you're so thoughtful and so _good_. And you're nearly content now."

"You're wrong."

"Huh?"

Aimi was in my arms, we were sat by a warm fire under the moon and I was faced with the prospect of Aimi for the next few months at least. I was sensei to a nice girl who wanted me to teach her and my siblings and I had finally developed a very close friendship. I had made friends in this village and I could feel that soon, I might even make friends in my own.

"I _am_ happy."

* * *

**Author's Note: Do you think Orochimaru is going to go after Aimi?  
**

**Aimi: I know we're posting early but it's because Author got quite a few reviews last chapter so we thought we'd treat you to a little fluff. I'm so cute. **

**THE LESSON HERE IS REVIEW AND SHE'LL POST FASTER. *evil laugh***

**Don't worry, Author will still be posting at 10pm GMT on Saturday. Also, DID YOU GUYS JUST LOVE MY OUTFIT CHANGE OR WHAT?  
**

**rainbowweekend: Put a lid on it, woman. Anyway, DID you like her outfit change? Also, I'm going to Japan next year with my buddies.**

**Aimi: Am I-?!**

**rainbowweekend: No, you're NOT coming. But does anyone know, how well do Japanese people speak English? Will we be able to get around Tokyo with very basic Japanese (like REALLY basic) or will we need to do a lot of research? Answer and you can have Aimi's ticket.**


	19. Chapter 19

_**DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do **_not _**own Naruto. I did just buy a cross trainer though. Anyone wanna come work out? No? No one?**_

_**Aimi: Loner.**_

_**Rainbowweekend: Watch out or I'll give an ugly scar or have Orochimaru kidnap your ass.**_

_**Aimi: Pfft, I'd like to see him try. **_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language.**_

* * *

_Tonight, I'm gonna dance for all that we've been through,_

_But I don't wanna dance if I'm not dancing with you._

_Tonight, I'm gonna dance like you were in this room,_

_But I don't wanna dance if I'm not dancing with you._

**Taylor Swift, Holy Ground  
**

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

"He's going to hate this," I warned, refusing to take part in the chaos of our living room as I lay splayed out on the sofa, trying a little subconsciously to make things more difficult. Temari was practically spinning like a whirlwind as she pinned colorful decorations all around the room, hanging rainbows of paper chains off the cream walls. "He hates fuss, he won't want this."

"He will - enjoy seeing - all of these people - who care about him - gather to celebrate - his birthday," Kankuro countered, between blowing up balloons in the corner. He was skillfully tucked away from the rest of the room, avoiding the pandemonium Temari was single-handedly creating as she flitted around the room with a face like thunder.

"We don't have to practically force a party on him to do that though. It's not like he'll dance or play any stupid games. He'll stand in the corner and feel bad because he'll think he's being ungrateful when people wish him happy birthday and he's too introverted to give some big flamboyant 'thank you' like you could," I argued, turning onto my side on the couch to face the cluttered room, the remaining balloons and decorations Temari had decided to pin up strewn lazily across the floor.

"He'll love it. Don't you want to pamper him?" Temari said, guilt tripping me yet sounding strained as she desperately attempted to push the coffee table to the wall, to clear some space in the middle of the room for a makeshift dancefloor.

"He doesn't _want _pampering with parties. The way to 'pamper' Gaara is to let him fight a tough battle, feed him gizzard and above all, avoid anything that might be too much fun," I told them, turning my hand over to survey a thin scab I had sustained when I had gotten a little too cocky at the academy a few days with a student and a kunai.

"Yeah, well, we'll see who knows him better, Aimi. I guarantee when he comes back from training with Matsuri and the others and walks into the surprise party, you'll be all 'oh, I'm sorry, guys. I was wrong' and we will laugh at you because we know our brother better than you do," Kankuro mocked. Dusk poured through the windows and the screen door, signaling the day drawing to a close. Temari sighed heavily, wiping her brow as she finally managed to move the coffee table. After that, she flicked on the stage lights she'd bought just for the occasion, half blinding us all.

Gaara was with Matsuri again. Not that I cared, I just knew her admiration for him had blossomed into something more and I wished I could spend that much time with him. Since we'd come back from the Leaf Village and people had seen Matsuri's progress, six people had switched from Temari and Kankuro's groups to Gaara's and he had become their sensei. He had become extremely busy, focusing most of him time and energy into cultivating his pupils into excellent shinobi.

This had done wonders for his confidence and he came home with a serene smile on his face now as the sun set on the sand. He was finally gaining the trust of people, especially our generation, and it was incredible to watch. No matter how I felt about Matsuri, she was a nice girl and I truly appreciated the fact that she'd taken away some of Gaara's pain. Anyone who did that had my respect.

At that moment, the buzzer sounded.

"We'll see," I replied simply to Kankuro, getting up and heading to answer the door. "I still can't believe you spent all of your paycheck from the last mission on these stage lights, Temari."

"Only the best for my _baby_ brother on his birthday," she replied, calling down the hall after me.

Gaara was cared for. Looking back, even when he'd been dangerous and drowning in the darkness, it seemed to me that somehow Temari and Kankuro had still cared for him, albeit extremely cautiously. Unfortunately, the only way they'd expressed it was in their deep respect and wariness of his power and they had inadvertently isolated him.

But it was different now, I realized, as I reached the phone connected to the buzzer and picked it up. We all had each other's backs. Even though I had no true blood family left, I had the Sand Siblings, my surrogate family.

"Hello?"

"Aimi, it's Baki."

"Oh, hey! Come right up!" I instructed him. He did as I said and entered the apartment carrying an oblong shaped present wrapped with red gift paper, almost the exact shade of Gaara's hair. "What is it then?"

"Always impatient," Baki said, smiling appreciatively. He'd taken a liking to me over the past few weeks and he'd become almost like a surrogate sensei to me. He was preparing to take the Sand Siblings and I back to the Leaf Village for the next Chunin exams in a couple of weeks and he was anxious to make amends with the Leaf. "It's a brand new set of weaponry."

"Oh, he'll love that!" I said, leading Baki into the living room and allowing him to take in the sight for himself. Honestly, it looked like the inside of a craft store on a sugar high.

"Baki-sensei!" Temari and Kankuro exclaimed together, Kankuro through gritted teeth as he wrestled with a huge balloon shaped strangely like Gaara's gourd.

I felt _myself _deflate in exasperation and embarrassment, watching his attempts to tie the balloon. "Kankuro, where did you _get_ that?" I asked, sighing and facepalming.

"I had it specially made!" he growled, finally managing to tie it. He sighed in relief as he completed it and he leaned back against the other couch, shutting his eyes. He looked about ready for a nap, not a party. Especially a Temari party.

"He's going to hate this so much!" I whined as Temari hopped down from where she'd been stood on the couch, tying balloons to the side lights.

"So, sensei, why're you here so early?" she asked, ignoring me. I went out on the balcony and shut the screen door behind me, blocking out the sound of the pre-party organization, looking out onto the bustling streets below, the natural lighting dimming in the dash of late sun.

People milled around like ants, streaming around one another, jabbering on about this and that. The sounds of, "Well, we're going out tomorrow night, in fact!" and "Reiko, hurry up with those bags!" drifted up to me as I watched over the village. The air was cooling off as evening crept in.

Gaara would be finishing off his group training session soon and his students would make an excuse about needing to go back with him to give something to Temari. He'd arrive and be thrown into a huge celebration. I worried it'd be too much for him. He probably thought he was just coming to a hot cup of tea, some salted tongue and a cuddle on the sofa in the dark by the television light.

He'd left this morning with his usual indifferent "goodbye" and a secret smile flashed in my direction. Every time he did that, distinguished me from his siblings specifically, my heart fluttered. We'd practically waited on him this morning; I even brought breakfast up onto the roof for him, greeting him with a loud and enthusiastic "happy birthday!"

I couldn't tell if he was enjoying his birthday yet; he was so hard to read. But that was truly one of the things I loved about him.

_Wait, loved?_

I pushed the thought away. As I looked down at the busy street below, I spotted a couple of shinobi I recognized strolling down the street leisurely. They had accompanied Gaara on a mission to catch some irritating thieves that had been troubling the village a couple of months ago. They arrived at the great oak door that led up to our apartment on the street and pressed the buzzer to our apartment. I heard the noise sound in the hallway from out here on the balcony where the light breeze was making my hair flutter around me.

"I'm actually kind of excited to see Gaara. He's a good guy and he deserves to have some fun tonight!" one of the shinobi below said to the other excitedly.

"I agree. He puts all his effort into training his students and do you remember how much he protected us on that last mission?"

"Yeah. He's great. I like him, I don't care what Ritsu says."

At that moment, Temari must've buzzed them in as I heard their voices drift away.

I must've stayed out there half an hour, watching people come to the apartment. There were a few timid people who had come to impress "Temari-sensei" or "Kankuro-sensei" and those excitable, cheerful ones who had been on recent missions with Gaara and had seen he had changed. Some seemed to have come from the academy simply because they'd seen Gaara's true nature at play.

Either way, I was pleased with the turnout. I cursed myself for being surprised that so many had turned up. That would make it about twenty five when Gaara arrived with his group of students. I couldn't have asked for much more for him.

Suddenly, in the distance, I saw a shock of crimson hair in the crowd surrounded by a group of pre-teens, a couple of gangly boys and a few giggling girls.

I spun on my heel and threw open the screen door to the sight of Temari stood on the coffee table, the very one she had been pushed to the wall with great effort to make an open space in the living room. She was instructing all of the people who were now filling that very space. "Now, you guys have to remember that Gaara-"

"Temari, he's coming!" I interrupted, causing everyone to gasp.

"Oh my God. Oh my God! Okay, everyone. My other main point is we have to make this a night to remember for Gaara because he deserves this!" she yelled, getting off the coffee table and nearly falling into a boy she taught. "Kankuro, get the lights!"

"The normal ones or the monstrosities you bought?" he teased, headed for the living room door, jostling a couple of people out of the way in his hurry.

"Both, asshat! And be prepared to turn them on when he arrives," she told him as I went to her and clutched her hand, grinning. For all the complaining I'd done about how he'd hate this, I was kind of excited to see his reaction. It was a little cramped in here, however, since Temari had huddled everyone into one room.

I caught her smile back just as Kankuro turned out the lights in time to hear her whisper, "I told you this was a good idea."

"You watch, he'll Sand Coffin your butt afterwards," I promised as I heard the sound of Matsuri, Gaara and the others coming up the stairs.

"Sorry, Gaara-sensei. I know it's your birthday but I just _have_ to see Temari," I could hear her apologizing as the door to the hallway was thrown open.

I heard her say, "Huh? That's weird! Where is everyone?"

She's a surprisingly good liar, I thought smugly. She was totally in on it.

"Gaara-sensei, did they tell you they were going out?" one of the boys asked quizzically.

Had Gaara taught them espionage skills or something? They were incredible liars.

"No," I heard Gaara's voice answer, sounding a little confused. My heart stuttered a little at the sound of his husky tone.

Just then, I heard footsteps heading for the door and the door swung open, light pouring into the dark living room from the hall, revealing Gaara in all his haunting beauty and the students. Kankuro flipped the lights on.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone yelled. So that was what Temari had them arranging when she was stood on the table, a simultaneous greeting.

Gaara, quite frankly, looked dumbfounded as he stood in the door frame and surveyed the scene before him. A blanket of silence fell on the room as everyone waited for his reaction but he didn't move.

I cringed as his eyes fell on Temari and me. I knew this wouldn't be a good idea, I thought in frustration. I wanted to jump up and down and yell, "Hey! I had nothing to do with this! I'm just here, it was their stupid idea! I knew you'd hate this!"

But he surprised me. His face broke into a hopeful smile, his eyes amiable and scintillating. I didn't think I had ever _seen_ that look on his face before. "For me?"

"Well, who else is it going to be for, little brother?" Kankuro asked, sarcastically.

"We helped!" Matsuri chirped up from behind him.

"Thank you," Gaara said sincerely, looking behind him to acknowledge his students and then forward to greet his guests. "Thank you everyone."

"Come sit, Gaara. You've got presents to open!" Temari ordered, rushing forward through the throngs of people to drag her little brother and place him down on the sofa. He was looking all around the room, nodding at familiar faces, his eyes wide as he took in the balloons and decorations that Temari and Kankuro had so intricately arranged. I felt a little guilty that I hadn't helped more. Maybe Temari and Kankuro had been wrong, maybe they genuinely did know him better than I did.

As his eyes fell on the gourd shaped balloon, he arched an eyebrow and smirked, reminiscent of a look I'd seen on his face during the Chunin exams and when things got a little heated between us.

As he did this and people made cheerful small talk with him - "so, are you enjoying your birthday?" - Temari had bustled out of the room and returned, dragging in a large opaque sack full to bursting with gifts.

His face lit up once more as he saw the gifts yet I knew it wasn't because of the material things; it was that so many people had gone to the effort of getting him ANYTHING. Someone flipped on some music and I watched from the background as Gaara was handed the red gift Baki had brought over earlier by Temari.

He sat on the sofa, everyone watching him intently, expectantly as he unwrapped the present. The look of pure happiness on his face made my heart swell, his faint smile making him look as innocent as I'd ever seen him. I could imagine him now, a helpless angelic little child falling prey to the demon sealed inside of him, to the villagers' hatred. I wondered if he smiled like that then. I wondered if he ever smiled at all as a child.

He opened the gift gingerly, taking great care not to rip the paper and a handsome leather pouch was revealed. He opened it slowly and shiny kunai and silver shuriken protruded from inside of it. They were brand new and in mint condition.

"I thought you might need some more, considering you're a teacher to so many now," Baki supplied, watching his own pupil as Gaara pulled out a kunai and stroked the blade lovingly. He had not much need for weapons with his sand but I knew they were important in his teaching.

"Thank you," Gaara told him earnestly, looking him straight in the eye. He had a knack for communicating with a look, never needing to say anything. You just knew what he wanted to tell you from the way his emerald gaze held you.

"Okay, mine next, mine next!" Kankuro demanded excitedly, rushing over to the bag and pulling out two electric blue presents, one a similar shape to that of Baki's and the other, wrapped very poorly and very obviously in the shape of a bottle.

_Oh no. He _didn't,_ did he?_ I thought sourly, apprehensive.

Gaara must've been curious as he opened the bottle shaped present first, confirming my thoughts.

"_YOU GOT GAARA SAKE?!"_ Temari screeched, rounding on her younger brother who was smirking smugly. "_You_ aren't even old enough to buy sake, let alone Gaara! Where did you even_ get_ that?"

She aimed a punch at him, but Kankuro danced nimbly out of the way, laughing heartily. "I've got friends in highly low places," he quoted.

She growled at him, balling up her fists and shaking them at him threateningly. "I swear I'll kick your ass, Kankuro."

"Guys, calm down," I finally said, stepping forward and mediating. "Remember whose day this is."

Kankuro nodded self-righteously at his elder sister and turned to Gaara, to watch him open his next present. His sea foam eyes were on me, shining like a six year old on Christmas morning, a hopeful small smile gracing his lips as he reveled in contentment.

He was radiant.

How could I have been so wrong about this party

Temari snarled a little ferociously.

"Don't worry, we'll confiscate it later," I assured her, wrapping an arm around one of my best friends, the sister I never had.

She grunted and Gaara busied himself open the other gift.

Silence.

And then there was an audible gasp of pain as Temari finally got her hands on Kankuro before I even registered what it was that Gaara had in his hands, before even Gaara could register what he was holding.

"YOU GOT HIM _THAT_ BOOK?!" Temari was screaming as she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shook him violently.

Kankuro had given Gaara Icha Icha Paradise for his birthday.

Gaara sat there speechless and wide eyed as he stared down at the sunset orange cover. I caught his eye and smirked, wondering if he was thinking what I was thinking, if he was thinking about us.

"Kankuro-sensei, isn't Gaara still too young to buy this anyway?" a guest I recognized as a student from the academy asked timidly from a gaggle of boys who were tittering quietly.

"Yes, he _is_, goddamn it!" Temari shouted, giving Kankuro a sharp whack around his head, hard enough for him to be seeing stars. He certainly looked dazed yet he was totally unashamed.

"Hey, I'm just widening his reading experience," Kankuro argued, sounding distant as he struggled to gather his thoughts, reeling from Temari's blows.

"I'll give you some fu-!"

"Okay, Temari, calm down," Baki said, separating them cautiously, giving Temari a stern look. "It's just a joke. _Right,_ Kankuro?"

She growled in frustration once again and Baki sighed. I could tell what he was thinking; Gaara used to be the one he had to worry about injuring others.

I went to sit by the crimson haired birthday boy, ignoring the squabbling siblings and pulling out a small silver package, the present I'd gotten him.

"Open mine next," I requested, cocking my head to the side and smiling. He nodded and took it from me, our hands brushing as he took it from me, shooting sparks of electricity up my arm where his touch lingered on my skin.

He opened it with such care, lavishing attention on the gift I'd gotten him for his birthday. He opened it to reveal a leather jewelry case and he glanced at me for confirmation that he could go on. I beamed at him, trying not to pressure him into opening it any faster, regardless of my temptation to urge him to hurry up. It'd taken me a long time to save up for this and I'd broken into my savings.

"What did you get him, Aims?"

"Looks flashy, if you ask me!"

"Open it, Gaara-sensei!"

He did as one of his male students instructed and he opened the box carefully.

He stared down at the contents, a simple slender gold chain. It was inarguably stunning, so regal and glorious, the embodiment of Gaara himself in my eyes.

"Let me see it," Temari said quietly as she leaned forward to glance at the chain and gasped. "Aimi, is that... pure gold?"

I said nothing as I felt everyone's gaze on me. Gaara slowly turned his head to me, shock in his eyes.

"Do you like it?" I asked, coming off a little shy at the force of his gaze. I couldn't quite tell if he liked it or not yet.

He nodded silently and fingered it as if touching something both beautiful and breakable.

"Wow!"

"Aimi, that's so nice!"

"I wish someone would buy me something like that..."

"It's... it's perfect," he said to me and for a moment, just the shortest of moments, I thought I saw a tear form in his eye. It was gone as soon as I blinked but I knew he'd fallen for the chain, the same way I had when I purchased it.

I couldn't help picturing him shirtless in it, his muscled chest naked apart from the one article slung around his neck. I knew he'd look incredible.

"I want... I want you to wear it all the time, so you always know that I'll stand by you and I'm here for you," I said wholeheartedly, allowing the way I felt for him seep into my eyes, my smile, my body language for the first time. We'd agreed to keep our relationship discreet and private but presently, I just wanted him to know that I cared for him, that I needed him and that I was his.

"Thank you," he whispered, leaning toward me with an extremely soft expression.

For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me but then, out of nowhere, Matsuri trilled, "Hey! Gaara-sensei, open mine!"

I smiled sheepishly at him and felt my cheeks flush. He pulled back, smiling apologetically at me and turned to his first pupil who had pushed her way to the front of the gathering and was looking wide-eyed and expectantly at her sensei. That was all well and good but the obvious lust in her eyes made me feel, almost a little threatened.

As far as I knew, she didn't know that Gaara and I were a couple but I knew from our encounter with Seimei, the way we were around each other and this particular gift, she would have suspicions now. What was her game?

_No, I don't need this. Gaara doesn't need this_, I reprimanded myself inwardly_. It's his birthday so snap out of it.  
_  
I got to my feet then and excused myself, mumbling about the food and heading for the kitchen. As I arrived, I went to lean on the counter, laden with trays piled up with sushi. Pots boiled away on the stove, cooking rice, the oven filled with an array of unseen visible, the smell mouthwatering. Temari certainly had all of this down.

Why did I feel so threatened by Matsuri? I trusted Gaara with all my heart, that wasn't even questionable but I couldn't stand it when she looked at him like he was available, like somehow her sensei-student like fantasy might one day be true. Like _she _would be the one with her dainty perfect little fingers, still untainted by callouses and the perils of missions, would be wrapped in his scarlet hair while he traced a line of butterfly kisses down her creamy neck.

_NO_. I thought, anger flaring up inside me as I grasped the kitchen counter tightly for support, the anger causing my world to spin a little. I felt dizzy from my fury.

_I can't let this get to me_, I told myself, feeling my Uchiha blood boil. _I have to get a grip. She's not done anything wrong, she doesn't realize she's doing anything wrong and if you were Gaara's student, you'd ogle him just the same way she does._ The sounds of laughter and joy drifted to me from the living room as Gaara opened more presents and people formed their own conversations.

The music was turned up a little louder thankfully at that moment and I grunted to try and expel some of my displeasure.

_Okay, I need a timeout_, I thought, busying myself with overseeing the cooking, stirring the rice and making a start on frying the chicken gizzards, Gaara's favorite food. I focused all of my energy into cooking, relishing in the angry sizzling and crackling of the scorching oil as it cooked the meat as the sounds of the party got louder. Gaara must've finished opening his presents.

I could hear people beginning to dance and sing along to the music and those just milling around the apartment, chattering or being curious as to the way in which the Sand Siblings and that Uchiha girl lived their lives. No one ventured into the kitchen, seeing that Temari had strictly stuck a sign on the door declaring that anyone who entered this preparation area would face the wrath of her Wind Scythe Jutsu.

This meant I could be left in peace, as I finished the gizzards and set them aside to cool down a little before serving them. I was still fuming that somehow I'd been so wrong about Gaara. I was his… well… Shouldn't I have known he'd enjoy this? Why didn't I know that? Did they know him better than I did? Did _Matsuri _know him better to know that he would rather have had this party than be cuddled up on the sofa with me?

I realized then that the reason I was so angry was because Gaara was _mine _and I was _his_. We'd been of that mindset since we'd met but at first, I thought it was just him and I thought it sexy as hell and back that I belonged to him. It made something burn in my core when he took control like that, when he _owned_ me.

But I hadn't seen it coming that I would feel the same way back, that I would want to smother him, envelop him, and take him over. I wanted to hold him so tightly that I left marks, to scar him so everyone would know that Gaara of the Desert was my man.

Our decision of discrepancy didn't help us get to such an end and I began to feel restless as I stood in the kitchen and wondered what I could do to alleviate the feelings swelling in my stomach, this _jealous possessiveness. _Was this normal? What was wrong with me? What could I do to make it go away?

And then it came to me just as I set to work then on making some dango, dumping copious amounts rice flour in a huge mixing bowl. A genius idea came to me.

It was perfect. _It was after all his birthday._

At that moment, I heard the door to the kitchen open ever so quietly and someone slip in the room.

"Sorry, you can't be in here, it's a preparation area," I told the intruder matter-of-factly, busying myself pouring hot water into the bowl.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of large hands splay across either side of my waist and a warm body press firmly up against my back. "Considering it's my kitchen, I think you can make an exception, Miss Uchiha," a deep, husky voice murmured in my ear.

I smirked and leaned back into Gaara's body, turning my head into his neck. I inhaled his scent, wood, musk and spices. "I'm not so sure, birthday boy. Why aren't you joining in the festivities? This is all for you."

"It's a bit too much. Anyway, I'm more interested in you," he whispered, pressing himself closer still to me.

_I was right_, I thought, half smug, half purely relieved. _I knew he wouldn't like all this attention._

"People keep trying to make me dance," he complained, planting a soft kiss in my hair and trailing his hands down to my hips and clasping me to him, his hold unbreakable.

"But you love dancing," I argued, twisting in his firm grasp to face him, his eyes as dazzlingly cheerful as they were earlier. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and stroked at the crimson hair at the nape of his neck.

"I don't want to dance if I'm not dancing with you," he said simply, completely unabashed. I felt myself blush under his unyielding gaze and I steeled myself.

I was going to do it. I was going to grant him another birthday present.

"Come on, I have another gift for you," I whispered in his ear, tugging on his hand and dragging him out of the kitchen. We passed the door to the living room as discreetly as we could, hoping to avoid attention but we were greeted by few students gathered in the hall, forced to make polite conversation about the genjutsu aspect of the curriculum at the academy out of genial manners.

Finally, the students vacated the hall as a song came on the sound system and filled the apartment with an upbeat pop song and they declared they were going to dance. Gaara and I glanced at each other and slipped into his bedroom to the sound of the music lilting through the rooms in the background.

_"We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you' and for the first time I had something to lose."_

* * *

**Author's Note: What kind of present do you think she's going to give him? *winks***

**Aimi: *grins slyly***

**Rainbowweekend: You gonna tell them?**

**Aimi: A lady never reveals her secrets.**

**Rainbowweekend: It's a good job you're not a lady then or we'd all be screwed for the next chapter. This is an M rated fic **_**because **_**you reveal your secrets, asshat.**

**Aimi: Hey! *pouts* Anyway, Author will be updating next Saturday at 10pm GMT, maybe earlier if she gets quite a few reviews like last week. **

**REVIEW!**


	20. Chapter 20

**_DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do _not _own Naruto. My cross trainer hasn't arrived yet either. Damn it._**

**_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. Like very bad language. This particular chapter there's a bigass lemon and Aimi uses coarse language. So I apologize in advance._**

**_Aimi: I don't. It was awesome._**

**_Rainbowweekend: Ignore her. But for the sake of lemons, just soak in the citrusy goodness._**

* * *

_There's a song for lovers you can hear all the time,_

_But you're like no other to me._

_So I'm not gonna promise you a starry sky,_

_You just need to believe._

_**Liberty X, Song 4 Lovers**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

I led him into his dark bedroom brazenly, bravery filtering into my veins at his warm touch and his willing gait. He shadowed me, saying nothing as I moved behind him to shut the door quietly.

A heavy, anticipating silence fell between us as I turned to him, less than a foot from his frame. The descants of music and melodies of conversation drifted to us from the rest of the apartment, the party in full swing. I noticed Gaara push the bolt across on his door in the darkness, the room lit only by streams of moonlight spilling onto the floorboards.

I could feel his gaze on me, that intense color of jade boring into me, _daring_ me to make the first move.

"I - I really wanted to give you something special," I stated, trying to sound bold and looking up to capture his stare. I placed my hand at the back of his cool neck, fingers audacious as they twisted in his thick red hair.

"You already gave me an exceptional gift," he assured me, leaning down and capturing my lips in a tender and swift kiss, creating a wave of heat throughout my body as one of his hands held my face gently as if I were ever so breakable and the other snaked around my waist, holding me in a grip almost vice-like. I felt revered and needed by the juxtaposition of his delicate touch on my cheek and the rough, desperate hold on my frame.

"But I want you to feel wanted," I whispered, losing my nerve and faltering in my resolve at my words. I glanced away from him, feeling my face flush as I stared at the floor. Had I really just said that? He waited patiently as I mulled over my thought processes.

It wasn't too late. I could back out now and he would have no idea what I'd been planning.

He was trying to make this as easy as possible for me, perplexity shading his tone as he said, "But I already do feel... feel like that. My siblings and you, you worked hard. I feel like this is my home. I feel like all of these people are my friends and I would kill to protect them. They are my friends and family." He sounded a little choked as he spoke, still mesmerized by the fact that he'd fallen into a position where he _had _friends who cared and where his siblings were his _best_ friends.

"Gaara, I don't mean that kind of wanted," I murmured, capturing his lips with mine and pulling him ever closer, before he could respond. I walked my fingers up to his collar as he relaxed into the kiss and held me tightly, as if I was his life force, as if without me, he was nothing.

It was terrifying and stunning when he gripped me like that, as if I was truly what he, Gaara of the Desert,_ needed_. And for so long, I'd felt like I was needed by no one. I had no family and both of my brothers had left without as much as a glance backward. My friends all had one another and their own families. There was always someone more important to everyone than me.

But this way, as both of his hands came to my hips and his fingers starred out across my body, digging into my skin, it was as if for once, someone needed Aimi Uchiha.

And Aimi Uchiha needed that someone just as much.

I kissed his face as this thought came to me, leaving butterfly kisses on his cheekbones, his slender nose, his strong jaw and his blackened eyelids. I trailed my lips down his neck and my fingers came up to stroke his clavicle. I moved back up to his mouth then with my lips, kissing him softly as my fingers toyed with the button at his collar. I felt him smile into the kiss at that moment and he fiddled between us awkwardly, pulling away to remove the white sash he wore and flinging it across the room.

"You've got to stop wearing that," I teased, grinning. I tugged at his burgundy outfit then and took a step backward, pulling him with me as I reached the bed, falling backward onto it with him on top of me.

"I need it," he argued, his lips whispering against my neck as he licked from my jaw down to my collarbone.

"You don't, it's your birthday. You're not even wearing your gourd," I responded, breathless and restless as I shivered under his touch, half ticklish, half from sheer pleasure.

"Don't tell me what to do," he growled, sounding remarkably like he did when we met, as if he were pure evil. I giggled at his impression and lifted my hands up to his collar once again, peeling his overalls back from his skin, the muscles in his torso exposed to me and I rid him of his clothing down to his waist.

There was something inexplicably beautiful in his face when he closed his eyes as I kissed his face, the black tanuki marks tattooed forever onto his eyebrows. There was something noble and courageous in his features as he allowed me to smother him in affection, always trying to pull him closer.

I ran my hand up his back, over the ridges in his spine, his protruding shoulder blades and I felt him bury his head into my still clothed chest, breathing heavily.

"I want you," I whispered, looking down at his spiked mess of crimson hair, the color of blood.

I felt him wordlessly reach for the zip on my skintight jumpsuit and ever so slowly, pull it down to where it stopped at my navel. He was so bold, so confident about who he was right now, the part he played in this coupling, in us, Aimi and Gaara, Gaara and Aimi.

I began to feel a little shy then as I was on display for him, black lacy bra and pale milky skin laid out for him like a spread. His eyes ravished me with a transparent hunger.

"Is this my birthday present?" he asked in that husky tone as he stared down at my naked form.

"No," I rebuffed, feeling my confidence come flooding back with his attention. "This is." At that, I pushed him onto his side and flipped him over so I was straddling him, my fast movements compelling him to gasp as I reached down and kissed him passionately, feeling my bra-clad breasts brush against his naked chest. He began to get a little frantic and he took off with jumpsuit, undressing me with vigor as it came off at my hips, leaving my own torso visible.

His hands came up my back and in one swift movement, he had my bra strap undone. I gave him a questioning look and he responded with a smug grin, clearly rather impressed with himself. I rid myself of my bra and slid down his body, where his legs hung off the bed. I knelt on the floor in between his legs, eliciting a sigh from him as my breasts went out of view and I heard him grumble a little.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his tone almost a little mocking, as if he were ridiculing me. He didn't understand yet.

He still didn't seem to understand when my shaking fingers went to his waist, to pull at his burgundy overalls and I tugged at them a little.

But then, when he sat up, his weight resting on his elbow, he knew. I could tell in his eyes as he raised himself up so I could pull his overalls off, leaving him in just a pair of plain black boxers, tented up by his apparent arousal.

I stopped then, waiting for him to protest, despite his clear excitement. He kept his expression steady, the only sign that he wanted this being the long blatant shape in his underwear begging me to get closer.

I shuffled a little closer only to be stopped by his voice.

"Aimi, you don't have to do this."

I ran my hand up his leg, sinew and skin. "I want to." I stopped at the waistband of his boxers.

"Just tell me to stop," I whispered, my voice shaking in anticipation. I'd never seen _one_ in real life before, I'd never dealt with one before. This would be the first time. I was undoubtedly nervous.

I reached my hand past his waistband then and felt the sheer heat of him, the _length_ of him, in my hand. This was totally alien to me and yet somehow, an instinct in my core told me exactly what to do.

I touched him lithely, teasing him and he shivered at my touch, his face frozen in shock.

And then, faster than I could stop and think it through, I leaned over and took the tip of him in my mouth and caressed him with my tongue, swirling it around the soft sensitive skin lovingly.

I released him with a 'pop' and whispered, "Happy birthday, Gaara."

He grunted a thank you, his hands grasping at the sheets underneath him, his fists balled up in some herculean effort.

I got a little braver then and licked him from the base to the tip, taking extra care to whirl a pattern around the head, causing Gaara to audibly groan, throwing his head back.

I continued my ministrations, taking heed when he would bite his lip as I sucked the head or as he moaned quietly as I took him all into my mouth, pushing him as far down my throat as I could manage, until it was uncomfortable. His hands came to my hair then, stroking my dark locks adoringly.

As I pushed further down, resisting the urge to retch, he gave a primal growl and his hands twisted in my hair, alternating between tugging and pushing me further down on him. I felt brave, in control. Gaara of the Desert had his cock deep down my throat and he was naked and growling for _me_.

The sheer passion and nonsensical erotica overwhelmed me, eliciting a moan from my own throat, heat flooding to _that _spot. I wanted desperately to relieve the sensations in my scorching cunt and I got to my feet, standing before him, to take things one step further.

I wasted no time being aloof and, with a dangerously smoky look towards my man, I stripped off my jumpsuit and stood before him in just a tiny shameless pair of lacy black panties.

His face remained stoic but his eyes blazed with an intensity I'd never seen before as he took me in, violated me with his eyes. He sat all the way up then and, in contrast to the way his eyes roved my near naked form, he took my hands gently and pulled me towards him, pulling me onto the bed to straddle him and sit in his lap, his length precariously close to my heat.

"Aimi," he whispered, burying his head into my breasts again, this time naked.

Skin on skin. I had never been this close with anyone, never allowed anyone to see me bare. I was always incredibly private with everyone, family, friends, even female friends. I wanted to keep this part of me for myself, to never allow anyone to see me this vulnerable.

Yet this, this felt so natural, so right. Like I could be as vulnerable and as naked as a newborn and I would be safe in Gaara's presence because I was _sure_ he'd protect me.

He wrapped his arms around me then and I resisted the urge to press myself ever closer and make this something that could never be unbroken, just as he murmured, "Aimi, we don't have to do this if you don't want-"

"Gaara-sensei? Aimi?" a female voice called down the hall, tense and uncertain. The student had come looking for her teacher.

"Shit!" I hissed, leaping off Gaara and stumbling around his room, fumbling for my clothes.

"Guys, are you in there?" Matsuri asked, her voice signaling that she was just outside the door.

"Aimi, calm down. The door is locked," Gaara reminded me firmly in a whisper, reaching out to reassure me and finding my hand.

Right on cue, Matsuri tried the door handle, only to be stopped. "Guys, why is the door locked?"

I vaguely wondered if she had gotten a little too confident recently.

"We're just having a private conversation, we'll be out in a minute," I yelled, trying to sound innocent and failing. We both knew what was going on and she probably thought it was worse than it was.

"Okay," she said, sounding unconvinced. "I'm just warning you, Temari's looking for both of you."

Gaara and I exchanged a look, and I went to snap on the light just as Gaara pulled on his clothes hurriedly. Temari would kill us if she found us like this.

"Right, well, I'm leaving now," Matsuri hinted, her voice drifting away as she left us.

"She's gonna kill us." I was starting to freak out a little as I struggled to pull the jumpsuit up my left leg.

Gaara didn't say anything, having dressed faster than I, fastening the button at his collar. He straightened out the sheets and went to fetch his white cloth, tying it around his body once again.

"She's gonna kill _me_," I squealed as I struggled to get my bra on cleanly. I caught Gaara stealing a last glance at my breasts and I stuck my tongue out at him. "She'll say I'm stealing her baby brother's innocence. Pfft. You were the more naked one out of the two of us."

Finally, I managed to get my outfit on and zip up the front, rushing to the door and flicking back the bolt and then hopping back to the bed to sit next to Gaara _ever _so innocently.

"How's my hair?" I asked, reaching up to pat it. "Do I have sex hair?"

"You're fine," he replied, just as his eldest sibling could be heard hurrying down the hall.

"What the hell are you two doing in here? It's Gaara's birthday party and he's not even out here! People are having a great time but they're asking after you both!" she ranted. She threw open the door with a fiery flair, as if expecting to find something out of the ordinary. Or rather in the ordinary in this case.

She stood in the doorframe with a suspicious expression as she stared at us, awkward postures and shallow smiles.

"We were talking," Gaara explained, lying easily, slickly, completely at ease.

"Well, talk out _there_," Temari instructed, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder, gesturing toward the rest of the apartment. "Everyone's looking for you!"

"Sorry, Temari," I apologized, getting to my feet and pulling Gaara with me. "We'll come join the party."

She didn't see the wink I shot Gaara as I turned back to smile at him.

The party raged on well into the night, starlight glimmering down at us from way past midnight. Gaara, as I expected, lingered in the background as we watched our friends dance, have fun, enjoy themselves until Dog Days are Over came on and he reluctantly accepted my proposal to dance and spun me around the living room to Temari's delight. She complimented him for "participating" after that.

Finally, people began to leave as the young hours began to ripen and we were getting far too close to dawn.

Eventually, it was just Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, a student named Takeru who had stayed behind and I sprawled out across the living room. Takeru kept giving his "Temari-sensei" suggestive looks, a little humorous considering his age but cute all the same. I could tell Temari wasn't having any of it. I lay on the floor splayed out at Gaara's feet where he sat on the sofa, watching on.

"So you're an Uchiha, right?" the boy named Takeru asked inquisitively as he appraised me suddenly.

"That's right," I agreed, nodding and not looking at him but suddenly finding the ceiling particularly interesting. I felt Gaara's eyes on me too.

"Wow! I've heard all about your clan! You're, you know..." he had begun rather enthusiastically but must've sensed that this topic was not a welcome one.

"Yeah, I am," I said, trying to keep my voice as soft and warm as possible. Just because I had issues and my brothers were both a pair of idiotic power-crazed assholes didn't mean he had to take the wrap for it.

"So do you have the... you know," and then his voice faded to a whisper as if Madara Uchiha himself would appear and kill him for even mentioning the dojutsu, "the Sharingan?"

"Oh that! Of course I do. Wanna see?" I asked, sitting up and reverting to my sharingan, smiling at the boy. He gasped as my eyes turned an angry red.

"Woah! That's so cool!" he said, in total awe as he came a little closer to take a good luck at it. "My mom told me about you guys. She said the sharingan allows you to copy any jutsu you like."

"It does," I told him, nodding, my sharingan alerting me to the fact that he was about to move a step closer and invade my personal space before he did, allowing me time to shuffle closer to Gaara. This guy was obviously new to dojutsu. Gaara was smirking as he saw me squirm at the breach of my personal space.

"Hey Aimi, can I ask you a question?" Kankuro asked, sitting forward and surveying me with interested eyes. "How many and which jutsu _have_ you copied?"

"In my whole life? Well, I know there are sharingan users who feel it's important to copy every move they witness, like my sensei back in the Leaf but I'm a little different. The first one I ever _stole_ was my friend Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu with Kakashi's help but I'm yet to master it properly or to the extent that Naruto seems to have. I also used it to learn taijutsu with my friend Lee's help. But I don't like to use the sharingan that way too much because I feel like I'm just cheating and stealing jutsu and I want to become an excellent kunoichi in my own right, you know?"

"My mom said she went up against some of the Uchiha clan once during the Third Shinobi World War. She told me there's this thing you guys have that's like one up from the Sharingan. Like, the - the Manger-something-"

"Mangekyo Sharingan," I corrected automatically and then freezing as I remembered that three pointed spike etched onto blood red as _he_ turned to Sasuke and I in the dark...

"Foolish little siblings..."

I shivered at the memory. "Yeah, I don't want it."

"What? Are you too weak to have it?" the little boy teased in a condescending tone, forgetting he was the pupil.

I felt fury lick at my veins like a fire. Didn't this little boy know _just_ how well I had learned to control the sharingan?

I didn't have chance to protest. "Careful, Takeru. I don't think you understand. Aimi has incredible mastery of the sharingan. I've seen it," Temari vouched, possibly remembering a time we'd trained together and I'd seen right through her moves.

His expression fell and he winced in embarrassment.

"It's okay," I told him, giving him a wry grin. "Most people think because I'm a girl and because both of my brothers defected from the village that I must be the weak one somehow. The truth is, I don't want to fall prey to the curse of hatred that comes with the Mankgekyo Sharingan and I think to get it, you have to do some damn cruel things like murder people very close to you and I think that's disgusting. It's a dojutsu that is spattered with blood and I hate that. I'm happy to keep my sharingan in the tertiary form and only copy a few jutsu."

"So, which jutsu do you use if you don't copy many?" Takeru asked. It seemed he was this inquisitive all the time.

Temari seemed to feel he was going too far and chastised him. "Takeru!"

"Sorry, Temari-sensei," he apologized, his expression falling like a forlorn puppy.

"No, it's okay. I use fire and lightning moves mostly. I'd say my signature move is called the Lightning Fire Tornado that my mom taught me one day, a move passed down through the women in our clan, women we deem to have the Will of Fire. And then there's another move I know, Madara's Fury."

Silence fell upon the room then and the young boy's eyes were wide like saucers as he hung on to my every word. "What- what does that do?" he said in a hushed tone, staring at me. I was a little pleased in truth. Even the name was foreboding. I felt like I was worth something, like I could be noted as powerful thanks to the move, as if I were a match for Sasuke and Itachi.

"You don't wanna know, little man. We've seen it up close and it is _terrifying_," Kankuro revealed, smirking.

"I really do!" he pressed, looking at me with icy blue eyes, filled to the brim with anticipation.

"Someone died. That's all you need to know," I told Takeru, sitting up and leaning against Gaara's legs.

"Do you use it... a lot?" the young student asked, leaning forward, sounding choked with excitement. "I really want to see it."

"I've only used it four times in my whole life," I admitted sheepishly. "The first time I used it was the first time I learned it when my dad taught me as a reward for working so hard at the academy. The second time was when my brothers went out to train once Sasuke got the hang of being a shinobi student and I felt jealous and left out because I'd always had the attention. I guess I was a little spoiled and I totally lost control as a child. Looking back, it wasn't the right move to teach a six year old at all, but my father found it novel that I'd even managed the fireball jutsu so young, let alone a hidden secret technique from the depths of our clan. We found out only one person every generation in our clan is predisposed to Madara's Fury and I just happen to be the one for ours. And the third time I used it was when... when something truly terrible happened..." And I couldn't continue. I leapt up onto the sofa and in a flash, I'd buried myself into Gaara's shoulder and found myself fighting off the urge to sob as the memory of that night came flooding back to me.

The memory of Itachi walking away, of running after him, tripping over my own feet, terrified. I'd wanted him to come home and yet I wanted him to leave. I'd wanted him to die yet I didn't want to be alone. And the tearing _anguish_ at the loss of _everyone_.

The emotions. The pain. The confusion.

And then...

BOOM.

A firestorm on the outskirts of the village. Sasuke screaming. _Me _screaming. Fire and lightning everywhere. ANBU black ops flooding to the scene and flinging me over their shoulder.

"He killed the _whole_ clan..."

"They're all dead..."

"He left only _her _and that boy."

"We cannot afford such an outburst again. I mean, I know her whole family but one being obliterated by her older brother can be hard but she should at least respect where she is and who is taking care of her."

"Shimasu, how can you say that?"

I came back to my senses and sniffed, trying to get a reign on my emotions. The student sat there, just watching, saying nothing. The sympathetic, kind smile he was giving me redeemed his earlier misgivings and I gave him a watery smile back.

"You see the thing is, is that I don't want to hate. I want to love. I want to make my mother proud and be the anomaly of the Uchiha clan. I need her to look down on this world from heaven and know that she at least got it right with one of us. Because my mother, Mikoto Uchiha was truly the greatest woman on the earth. I don't have to fight for power or revenge, but I can fight for love. I'm going to show the world that to be a true shinobi, you don't have to walk a path of darkness. That's my nindo, my ninja way."

Gaara wrapped his arm around me then and looked deep into my eyes, green on hazel and declared, "I think it's about time to go to bed, guys. It's late and we need to prepare for the Chunin exams."

I shot him a grateful look and he nodded at me. If anyone had seen us now, they would've seen a couple of friends, not too close, not too distant who were courteous to one another and respectful of each other's strength. They would see Gaara's indifference and presume that my clear attraction to him – since I had _never _been any good at hiding my emotions – was to be unrequited.

They wouldn't have known that a few hours ago he held me, skin, heat and sex.

This love was a fire, restless and wild, never to burn out.

* * *

**Author's Note: Did you enjoy the lemon? Think Takeru will play a bigger part in future? He sure seemed inquisitive ;)  
**

**Chunin exams coming up guys.**

**And I will be updating next Saturday 10pm GMT.**

**Also, can I ask people's advice on this? I live in England and I want to work for a multi-national corporation traveling and stuff, preferably in Japan. Would a degree in Japanese Studies and History be a good idea? If not, what would be better? :)**

**I'm sorry for sticking that in the Author's Note but I already know you guys have good taste in anime and men if you're reading this.**


	21. Chapter 21

_**DISCLAIMER - Despite this being a Naruto rewrite, I do **_not _**own Naruto. My cross trainer was faulty so I have to send it back and get a new one. Damn you, Argos.  
**_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language.**_

* * *

_You're a beautiful, a beautiful fucked up man._

_You're setting up your razor wire shrine._

_**Sarah McLachlan – Building a Mystery**_

* * *

I guess when we arrived in the Leaf Village for the Chunin Exams, a small part of me expected to turn a corner and find Sasuke strolling down the street with his hands in his pockets and his head down. I expected he might mumble something about growing bored with Orochimaru, no apology, just a superior sort of explanation.

My heart throbbed as we walked past the dango place, right past our old table, now taken by a couple of girls who spotted Gaara and whispered inconspicuously, their eyes smoldering as they stared at my man.

That only stood to tear my mood down a little more.

"Aimi, what's up? I thought you'd be happy to be here. We've only been here five minutes, what's up?" Temari asked, spotting my glum expression.

"Nothing," I muttered back, causing Gaara to turn his head to me and shoot me a questioning look, emerald and ruby.

I gave him a watery smile and he squeezed my hand quickly, letting go just as fast. We'd agreed that our sort of relationship should be kept under wraps. Nothing good could come of the last remaining Uchiha and the Shukaku vessel's relationship becoming public knowledge.

Baki turned back to me and gave Gaara and myself a stern look, clearly saying, "Be careful." He did not want people to find out he'd allowed an Uchiha visiting the village to become involved with their Ultimate Weapon either.

We walked past Ino's family's flower shop and I looked in hopefully, hoping to see my beautiful blonde friend serving the citizens of the Leaf Village with a dazzling smile. However, it was her mother behind the counter and she greeted me with a wave and a, "Welcome home, Aimi!"

"Thanks, Mrs Yamanaka!" I replied, perking up a little. I'd met her quite a few times at the Academy and the several times she had come to find Ino in among a group of girls following Sasuke and myself around. She was a wonderful woman, charming and pretty like the very flowers she and her family sold.

Walking down the main boulevard, I was greeted with further familiar sights and sounds. Ichiraku Ramen was exuding a gorgeous smell and I couldn't help but peek in to check if a certain hyperactive knucklehead ninja was present. He wasn't.

He was gone. Just like my brother.

It was strange to see how different it all was now, how much things had changed as we sauntered down the street.

But regardless of all the change, of all the pain and suffering, I was home.

This was where I belonged.

"I'm going to go and declare our arrival. And then I've got a meeting with the other jonin so I won't be back until late. Don't get into any trouble," Baki instructed, turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction.

He usually stayed in the apartment next to the Sand Siblings' and this time was no exception.

Once we'd arrived at the apartment the Sand Siblings had become so accustomed to, we unpacked and Kankuro and Temari settled in front of a very frothy soap opera on the television, the buzzer to the apartment sounded.

Kankuro hastily flipped over to a show exhibiting different styles of kunai and sighed heavily. I shot him a knowing smirk.

"Hey! I was watching that!" Temari protested, slapping her younger brother on the arm.

"I wasn't. I don't wanna watch some dumb soap opera," Kankuro scoffed, as if he hadn't been the one to flip onto that very soap opera, just as I went to pick up the phone to check who it was.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, it's us!" A simultaneous chorus of feminine tonality rang down the phone and I knew Ino and Sakura were just as excited to see me as I was to see them.

"You guys!" I squealed. "I walked past the flower shop and looked for you! Oh my God, it's been so long! Come up!"

I hung up and squealed again, throwing the door open, hearing giggles and excited chatter coming up the stairs.

They ran to me and tackled me, the scents of violet and cherry blossom enveloping my senses.

"We missed you!" Ino yelled.

"You left me and I was the only member of Team Seven still left in the Leaf Village and I had to hang out with Ino_-pig_ all the time," Sakura whined, earning a swift punch on the arm.

"Hey, shut it, Billboard Brow! Be careful or our teamwork'll go right out of the window!" Ino warned with a dark look at her best friend and fiercest rival.

"Teamwork?" I asked, bemused.

"Yeah! Sakura's been practicing with Choji and me since we're going in for the Chunin exams as a three!"

"Why?" I asked. I was pretty slow today.

"Because you and Shikamaru are already chunin, you idiot!" Sakura said, laughing at my empty expression.

"Aww! So I don't get to participate?" I said, a little sad that I wouldn't be involved in these exams.

"Oh yeah, what a shame, Aimi. You won't have to go up against other shinobi in battles to the death, poor you," Kankuro teased from his position on the couch, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, asshole! I'll just miss you, that's all," I said in a self-pitying voice, going over to hug him from behind. He resisted but allowed me to wrap my arms around him just as Gaara came into the room.

I stood up sharply, as if at attention.

"Hey," I breathed, watching his silent entry as he went to sit on one of the other couches. His gait was always so steady, his expression always calm, contrasting the drama in his mane of crimson hair and sea foam eyes, rimmed with black tanuki markings.

_Perfect.  
_  
He nodded to me then and I went to sit by him, motioning for Ino and Sakura to come in too.

"So, that lazy bum is still around, is he?" Temari asked the girls, specifically Ino, as they came to sit down too, ignoring the television, now only entertaining Kankuro, Gaara's eyes drifting to me.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" I asked him, still feeling a little breathless at his gaze. He raised his eyebrows at me, as if the idea of him feeling anxious was laughable. And I could see what he meant.

I giggled then and said, "You know what I mean."

He nodded. "You shouldn't worry about us."

"But you guys are like my family, the only family I have left," I whispered to him, trailing off at the end and looking down, unable to hold his gaze.

To my surprise and, judging from the silence that dropped onto the room like a ton weight, the surprise of everyone else, Gaara lifted his index finger to my chin and angled my face to his, looking deep into my eyes, ignorant of Ino and Sakura staring at him. Ino and Sakura had no idea _anything_ was going on.

"You are our family too," Gaara told me sincerely before removing his finger and looking back to the television as if nothing had happened. I felt my cheeks flush and of course I noticed Ino and Sakura's blazingly curious looks, desperate to get me in private and give me the Spanish Inquisition.

It didn't take them long.

They volunteered themselves _and _me to go down to the convenience store and pick up dinner since we had only just arrived and there was nothing in. Temari protested since they were guests but they insisted and dragged me along with them.

"So?" Ino began, elbowing me as we got down onto the street and began walking to the store.

"So what?" I asked, playing dumb and refusing to meet their curious eyes.

"Since when did things with you and Gaara get so... _heated_?" Sakura questioned, grinning.

"Heated?! He touched my chin, it wasn't like we just made out in front of the whole room with reckless abandon," I argued, my brain suddenly painting pictures of him kissing me _with_ reckless abandon.

_God, I was attracted to him.  
_  
"_Have _you made out?" Ino pressed, watching my face carefully.

I smirked and flushed red, such a strange combination.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Ino, you _can't_ tell anyone," I told her very seriously. "I'm only telling you because I love you very much and because I'll die soon if I don't talk about it."

"I won't tell anyone. But, I can't believe this! _You _and that guy?! This is so... I'm speechless! I mean, I knew you liked him but _still! _I... am speechless!"

"There's a first," Sakura muttered darkly.

"Hey! Anyway, I'm so happy!" Ino squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "_You_ and Gaara... of the Desert. This is so cool. I mean, I knew things were going on but it's _official _now!"

"It's not official at all, so don't go telling everyone or I'll kick your ass!" I said, but I couldn't help but beam at her, too caught up in my excitement to notice the floating brown eye that had borne witness to our entire conversation.

"Now remember, the trick is that he's testing your ability as shinobi and all those other noble qualities that he wants you to have so just pretend you're good people and that you all love each other and it'll be fine." I was rambling a lot as I polished Temari's fan, now slung on her back. I could tell I was, so I guess I was trying to lighten the tension I had inadvertently created by making a joke. I was far more nervous than they were. What was it about Sand shinobi that made them so calm, so ruthless?

"Aimi, calm yourself," Temari ordered, exuding stoic determination. She was my idol, the way nothing ever worked her up. And then there was me, emotions personified.

"I'm sorry, I just really want you guys to pass," I told them, as they all stood there in a line, totally at ease, as if nothing ever fazed them. Which it didn't.

"We will pass, it's a piece of cake. And now we can work together, there's no problem. We'll be fine," Kankuro assured me, just as confident as his younger brother and older sister.

"Take care of yourselves, won't you?" I said, looking specifically at Gaara, his apathetic expression indifferent. He raised an eyebrow at me, as he always did at a time like this, and I grinned.

Gaara could take care of himself.

We walked down to the academy where the first exam was being held and it did not escape my notice that there was a buzz about the village in anticipation for the upcoming chunin exams.

We met up with the ten genin we knew, just outside of the academy where several other teams were greeting each other and bidding each other good luck.

Temari went straight to Shikamaru, Kankuro to Kiba and Gaara and I walked over to Lee.

"Aimi! Gaara! It is a pleasure to see you both again! How are you both? I trust you will not be taking part in these exams, Aimi." He greeted us with his usual zest for life. Neji nodded to me, smiling serenely and Tenten wrapped me up in a big hug.

"You and Shikamaru just couldn't stay away, could you?" she teased.

She was loud enough that Shikamaru could hear as he retorted in an equally teasing voice, "We just wanted to see which of you losers actually manage to pass."

"Thought you'd be too lazy to come out here, Shikamaru," Temari said, grinning at him.

"It's a drag but I wanted to wish you all good luck, I guess," he said in a monotone voice, avoiding Temari's eye.

"Me too. Kick butt, guys. And remember, it'll be a similar arrangement to last time, probably," I informed then, glancing from Shino at one end to Tenten at the other.

"Hey! We're all enemies here now, don't give away all of our secrets," Sakura scalded, leaning forward, only half serious.

"Technically, she's been living with us for a long time now, so she's practically a Sand ninja now anyway," Temari said proudly from her spot by Shikamaru, who looked as if he'd really rather not be here after all.

"She's a Leaf shinobi through and through," Sakura declared, beaming at me proudly.

"Damn right I am. Team Seven all the way," I replied, high fiving my teammate.

Just then, I noticed a ripple that had been going through the crowd, a whisper, a promise.

People were staring at me, some of them pointing at me.

"That's her..."

"One of her brother's killed her _whole _clan..."

"The other's with _Orochimaru_, isn't he?"

"Cursed..."

"What a disgusting little life..."

"I feel sorry for those kids having to hang out near her..."

"It's obvious that at any moment she could snap too."

"She's not really a part of this village."

Their words cut deep and I seemed to have been the only one who had noticed the crowd's whisperings. The rest of the genin were all too busy getting ready to go in.

How had I not noticed their whispers before?

_Because you were too busy trying to enjoy some time with your friends._

At that moment, I realized now was my time to get away before my fury exploded, my anger with these people who knew _nothing. _Where did all of it even come from? What did they know about me?

Did my friends think the same about me? Was all of this just pity? Did _they _think I could just snap at any moment too?

I couldn't handle it.

I spun on my heel without warning and ran.

I ran down side streets, roads and then up the main boulevard, bumping into people, trying desperately to escape the mindless rage in my body threatening to pour out onto the people of this village.

How dare they?

What had I done? I wasn't Itachi or Sasuke.

I had done nothing to deserve this. Was this how Naruto and Gaara felt?

I wasn't really sure where I was headed until I got there, a derelict compound that looked like at one time, it might have been grand, the smell of rotting and dampness filling my nostrils. A paper fan, red and white was marked over the darkened entrance and I fell to my knees.

When people feel threatened, they go home.

But this wasn't home anymore and I could practically smell the lingering scent of spattered blood, the piercing screams of my family.

I was at the entrance to the Uchiha compound.

Suddenly, from out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a shadow shift. I leapt backwards, skidding to a stop some ten feet back in the yard, unused for so long.

An unfamiliar hooded figure stood directly in front of me, blocking my way back into town, like something from a horror movie.

Silence fell between us and I readied myself into a defensive position automatically, still reeling from the fury, the anguish.

"Who the fuck are you? Get out of my way," I spat, growling at the cloaked figure, his face totally shadowed.

"Aimi Uchiha, I have a proposition for you."

* * *

**Author's Note: Who do you think it is and what do they want with Aimi?**


	22. Chapter 22

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. I do finally own a cross trainer though. Rejoice.  
_**

**_Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language.  
_**

* * *

_People are people and sometimes it doesn't work out,_

_But nothing we say is gonna save us from the fallout._

_And we know it's never simple, never easy,_

_Never a clean break, no one here to save me._

_You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand._

_**- Taylor Swift, Breathe  
**_

* * *

"Aimi Uchiha, I have a proposition for you."

"Who the hell are you? Get away from here, this is a private area. Civilians can't just wander in here," I spat at the hooded figure.

"It's a good job I'm hardly a civilian then," the figure lilted in a condescending tone.

"Identify yourself!" I yelled, pulling out a kunai and taking a defensive stance.

The figure slowly lifted up a hand and removed its hood.

"You!" I gasped.

"Surprised to see me, Aimi? My, my, how you've grown. You're ripening before my eyes," he said, eying my body, my figure. I growled defensively and tried to hunch over, unconsciously trying to hide the obvious vulnerability in my femininity.

To hide myself from Kabuto's hungry eyes.

"What do you want with me? Where's Sasuke?" I asked, glaring daggers at Orochimaru's right hand man.

"Unfortunately, he wasn't available to accompany on this mission, he's very busy with some intensive training but he sends his _love_," Kabuto said, watching me very carefully as I flinched at his words. He smirked.

"What do you want?! Leave! Leave now or I'll kill you!" I threatened, deadly serious as I activated my sharingan.

He laughed heartily, a chilling sound and I growled.

"You know, in some ways, you and Sasuke are exactly alike and in others, you're polar opposites. It's interesting to see in which ways after spending so much time with him."

"SHUT UP!" I roared, trying desperately to cling onto my battle instincts to wait for an opening and attack. I had to keep control. If just this time, I couldn't lose it. He could kidnap me if I wasn't on my guard. I needed to calm down. "_Don't_ talk about my brother. Just tell me what you want and then _leave_."

"Still got a temper, I see. Sasuke mentioned that. He said your emotions are your one weakness. He misses you greatly." He said the last part so sincerely, I felt my heart ache. I almost believed him.

"Don't talk about him," I whispered, the hand clutching my kunai shaking.

"He keeps a picture of you by his bedside. He doesn't say but I know him well enough to know he's doing this for you."

"I SAID _'SHUT UP_!'" I screamed, losing my cool and running straight at him, totally forgetting the plan of action I was formulating in my head, forgetting that my best bet was to not engage in combat.

I moved to swing my arm at him and slash him with my kunai, but he was too quick, too composed. He wasn't blind with rage as I was and I missed him completely, going crashing into a concrete wall behind him.

"Do you miss him?" Kabuto asked, watching me from where I was originally standing with pitying eyes.

"Just tell me what the hell you want! What is this 'proposition'?" I shouted, rubbing my wrist, sure I'd damaged it. It was my own fault, I shouldn't have charged in like that.

'_A ninja must never show their feelings_,' and here I was hurling into walls and hurting myself because mine were on full display.

"It's clear that you can't control your emotions. We could teach you that, Aimi. You could be with Sasuke again," he declared, appraising me. "You look weak from here, consumed by bumbling happiness and innocent naivety. Lord Orochimaru extends his hand and invites you to join him, to get stronger, to be with your brother."

"Fuck you," I growled_. Be with Sasuke..._

"Don't you miss him? He needs you and you need him. You are family. You _have _no family left and you know it, that's why you came here."

_Was he right? Is that why I came here?_

_It was. Because I wanted to go home._

Home with Sasuke? Whenever Sasuke and I had been together, we were home. It didn't matter because the two of us had each other.

"You don't have to be alone anymore, Aimi. Sasuke wants you to join him. He wants you to do this together. Orochimaru can offer you powers beyond your imagination, we can teach you how to channel your emotions or cease them altogether. And Sasuke can give you a home. He wants you."

Suddenly, images flashed through my mind.

It hadn't hurt that much when we were three years old and I'd found a kunai our cousin, Shisui had left around the house and I'd stepped on it. My mother had bandaged my foot and Sasuke had sat by my side while I sobbed, telling me to be strong because one day we'd be great ninja and we'd have to face this sort of stuff every day.

It hadn't hurt at all when we were four and we started ninja academy and we were put in the same class, coming home every day telling Mother how we'd learned all about the Five Great Nations. I had declared my favorite to be the Land of Fire.

It hurt when I was five the day Father declared me a prodigy when I learned how to use the Lightning Fire Tornado and destroyed Uncle's cabbage patch. He had been an angry man and he gave me a swift smack. Father and he didn't talk for weeks because Father was sure Uncle was just jealous that Itachi and I showed so much promise.

It hurt when we were six and Itachi grew so cold. He stopped wanting to play with Sasuke and me. However, it was okay because no matter what, Sasuke and I had each other.

It didn't hurt when Sasuke learned the fireball jutsu and he came home and we danced and laughed because he was _finally_ getting there and there was no competition between us because we were twins, best friends and teammates, even before we were put on a team. "I'm the boy," he'd say. "You're still my little sister because _I _was born five minutes before you so I'm supposed to look after you. And I promise I'll protect you forever."

Nothing hurt more than _that_ night.

It hurt when I started the firestorm and the heat blazed my skin.

It hurt when I screamed so loudly in the hospital that I felt my ribs would explode.

It hurt when tears rolled down Sasuke's face as he watched my eyes pop out of my skull, my body arching upwards as I lay on the bed screaming and the nurses tried desperately to calm me, to heal the pain.

Pain. It eats away at your soul.

It hurt when I started getting better and I went back to the academy that first day and people whispered around us. I swore to Iruka-sensei that I would catch up and I did. Because, like Naruto, I don't go back on my word either.

It didn't hurt when we graduated and Sasuke held me and told me he was proud of me and that whatever happened, whatever was to come, we'd do it together.

_Together._

"He wants you, Aimi," Kabuto repeated.

And I couldn't tell if that hurt or not.

"Will you join him? Will you choose to be with your brother or will you abandon him?"

* * *

**Author's Note: What will she do? What _should_ she do?! I'm planning to take into consideration what the reviews say as well so make sure to review.  
**

**And if I get a few reviews for this, I'll update with a long chapter on Monday rather than next Saturday. I am a day early today, after all. **

**In the mean time, for information on updates and the like, follow my Twitter handle erosenninmofos. I tweet mainly about Naruto and my favorite pairings. And Gaara. So much Gaara.**

**Also, Kabuto is an asshat.**


	23. Chapter 23

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. I do have the Chunin exams on DVD though. _**

**_Naruto: "AHHHHHHH! Huh? The grass ninja! Everybody hide!" *falls to the floor* "Quick, get down! That ninja... where could she be hiding?"  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_Green eyes, you're the one that I wanted to find._

_And anyone who tried to deny you must be out of their mind._

_Because I came here with a load,_

_And it feels so much lighter since I met you._

_Honey, you should know that I could never go on without you._

_Green eyes, green eyes._

_- __**Coldplay, Green Eyes**_

* * *

"Will you join him? Will you choose to be with your brother or will you abandon him?"

He was deadly serious and he was giving me the choice. However, could I trust that if I refused him that he wouldn't try to force me there? Would he just let me walk away? Had he come with accomplices?

I was trying desperately to stave off my emotions and to think clearly, logically, thinking through all the immediate possibilities. I was trying to analyze the situation, to find a way out of this safely.

But I was failing.

Because how dare Kabuto suggest that by not going, I was abandoning Sasuke.

Who was it who had walked away?

Who was it who had promised we'd always stick together?

Who was it who promised he'd protect me forever?

And then who was it who slipped off in the night, leaving only a condescending letter behind?

I was the one still here in the Leaf village, waiting for him to round the corner with a sullen expression.

He had abandoned _me_.

My _brother_ had abandoned me.

Kabuto had said, "_You have no family left and you know it, that's why you came here."_

But in that instant, recent moments flashed through my mind.  
_  
"I'm just going to miss you three so much," I had sniveled. "You're like my family." _

And then_, "Hey, you have us!" Kankuro had contested._

"You're not my brother though, you douchebag."

"As good as while you're here! I've always wanted a little sister!" he had said, grinning.

"Awww, really?" I had said.

"Yeah." I had given him a high five.

That time on the bridge in the pouring rain, me screaming and Gaara stood there with his jaw locked.

And then,_ "Stay. Stay with me." _Kissing with the throngs of rain beating against our skin, nail marks embedded on the slippery wet skin of his neck and,_ "I swear to take care of you."  
_  
And the night of Gaara's party with that boy with the crush on Temari. _"I don't have to fight for power or revenge, but I can fight for love. I'm going to show the world that to be a true shinobi, you don't have to walk a path of darkness. That's my nindo, my ninja way."  
_  
And it was upon the foundation all these memories that my resolve solidified. I gritted my teeth and pulled out another kunai from my weapons pouch, pointing the tip directly at the man before me, a a mere puppet of Orochimaru's.

Kabuto was strong, no doubt about it and if he wouldn't take no for an answer, I would be in trouble. Most of my ninjutsu meant that the surrounding area was usually obliterated by the sheer power of the Lighting Fire Tornado and Madara's Fury. I was not a close range fighter.

Kabuto knew that. That was one of the reasons why he cut me off here, because he knew I would have to limit my ninjutsu.

I would die before damaging any of the remnants of the Uchiha compound.

It was the perfect place to ambush me, exactly where I would be more interested in protecting what was left of my clan than protecting myself.

That left my genjutsu and taijutsu. He'd dealt with Sasuke's sharingan, however, so he probably knew a lot of the tricks of the Copy Wheel Eye.

So it was just taijutsu.

And he was bigger, stronger and more experienced than I.

But you know what he could do?

"Go to hell, Kabuto," I growled at him. "Go to hell now or I'll SEND YOU THERE MYSELF!"

And with that, I ran at him, brandishing a kunai, praying that I could pull this off.

**Gaara's POV**

There were twenty minutes left on the written test, the first phase of the Chunin exam. I'd been sat here in seat sixty two for forty minutes, twenty five of those with nothing to do, staring at blank walls and exasperated faces. It hadn't taken long to track down the chunin they'd planted among us with all of the answers and the opening of the Third Eye had been child's play.

I'd managed to pass on the answers to Temari and Kankuro separating grains of sand and having them gather on their papers with the answer. Last time, I had been out to gather the answers only for myself but we were a team now.

And since then, all that was left was to ponder and glare viciously at the smirking sentinels positioned around the room like hawks.

I'd been worried about Aimi ever since I had turned around and she'd disappeared. I'd worried that something had happened to her and then I had silently reprimanded myself because Aimi could absolutely take care of herself. With her ninjutsu, she would be fine.

But still, I couldn't shake the niggling feeling that something was not quite right.

Suddenly, the proctor, the same man who had been the proctor during the first phase of the exam last time, spoke. He still communicated in that dark, rough voice, trying almost desperately to strike fear into our hearts. He did not fool me. "Alright, here's the tenth question. But before I give you the final question, there are some more rules you need to know."

Exactly what he had said last time. I wondered vaguely if we'd have the same question as six months ago or if he'd test us with a different situation.

"For the tenth question, you will not only be competing against all the other genin here but against the rest of your squad. That's right, you're up against your own squadmates."

A hushed whisper fanned out around the room as people began voicing their quiet dismay.

"And that's not all. Whoever scores the lowest in your squad... will fail. And the one who fails... can never again take the Chunin exam. He remains a genin for life."

So it was the latter, another double bluff. Easy enough to spot for the scrutinous shinobi. And an easy enough answer for the more passionate and truly _good_ among us.

People began shouting out then, the ones who hadn't seen through the test he was setting us yet. "That's not fair!"

One boy even stood on his chair to yell, "To make us compete against our own squad?! That goes against every rule of-!"

Ibiki interrupted in a collected, easy tone. "In here, I make the rules. End of discussion. If anyone wants to withdraw, now is the time. If you chose to withdraw, you can try again another time. Of course, if one squad member quits, then all three members will be disqualified. However, you'll all still be eligible to take the test again... in six months' time."

"Your teammates' future versus your own. A very hard decision to make. If it's too tough, quit now."

I got to my feet, seeing only a dozen and a half others doing the same, Kankuro and Temari in the corner of my eye. I was strangely pleased to realize that I recognized many of the other strays, all three of the Leaf's genin team that we were acquainted with. Lee gave me a 'thumbs up' as we exited the room and I merely nodded at him, my mind still on Aimi.

She would be there outside, waiting for us, after we'd been cleared to leave, I told myself. She'd have a huge smile, flashing pearly white teeth and shimmering eyes and she'd tease Kankuro about the fact that she was already a Chunin.

It was no big deal. Around a dozen or more teams followed behind us and the Leaf genin teams, exiting the exam hall, refusing to "take the tenth question". I wondered how many were doing it for teamwork and how many were doing it because they knew the true purpose.

If I hadn't seen through his double bluff, would I have stayed?

I looked to my flank, my brother and sister stood right by me as we came face to face with several chunin sentinels outside the exam hall who nodded to us.

No, I would not have stayed, I thought firmly as the sentinels beckoned us into a side room, large enough to fit us all in. I'd have stuck by my siblings because we're a team.

I guess this is the place where they tell us we pass, I thought a little testily, wanting to get out and to check on Aimi. I felt uneasy and anxious and I was driving myself crazy at my weakness but I had to _know_ why she'd run off.

She was getting right under my skin, that dark mane of hair and her confident smirk, so like her brother's. But I was so_ sure_ something was not right, that she would not be smirking wherever she was right now. I had a bad feeling.

Once all of the teams had gathered in this side room, clearly a disused classroom from the way the chairs were strewn about the place and the dust created a frosting on the desks, the second proctor from our previous exam stepped up.

She folded her arms, her lip curling upwards at us and she ran her eyes over our numbers.

"More than usual, I see. And many familiar faces," she seemed to say, more to herself than us. And then she called out, "Okay, good news, boys and girls! All of you guys pass the first phase of the Chunin exam."

Another ripple of speech passed through our numbers then, some excited disbelief and some affirmation amongst teammates as they discovered their suspicions to be founded - it was a double bluff.

"To put your teammates' future before your own; that is a mark of a true shinobi. So well done," she congratulated us in a serious tone, giving us a sharp look. "However, the fun doesn't stop here, boys and girls, oh no. Are you ready for the second test?!"

This was taking too much time. I knew what was coming, she'd let our squad leaders to know where to meet her tomorrow.

"I'll let your squad leaders know where to meet me tomorrow. Get some rest, you're going to need it," she instructed us, smirking, almost a little sadistically. She knew what was coming up, as did we. The Forest of Death. "Dismissed."

I turned and stalked out of the room, nodding at the Leaf genin who greeted us. I noticed Temari and Kankuro fall in behind me as we walked down the corridor of the third floor of the Leaf's academy.

"Gaara, slow down! What's up? Kiba just started talking to us and then you walked out, that was kind of rude!" Kankuro scalded me as he struggled to keep up with my pace.

I stayed silent and shot him a dark look over my shoulder and he recoiled a little, possibly in memory of how it used to be. I regretted it almost instantly.

"Hold on, Gaara. What's wrong?" Temari asked, much more softly than our brother.

"Aimi. Something's not right," I replied irritably, hurrying down the steps.

"You mean when she just left? She's probably just feeling a little nostalgic and she's gone back to her apartment or her clan's compound. She hasn't been here for a while, remember? She might even be with Shikamaru waiting outside," Kankuro offered.

I stayed quiet as we descended quickly and Temari tried to reassure me.

We were the first ones out of the door and we were met with a small crowd of people, senseis and friends, waiting to see how their squad was doing.

I spotted Shikamaru's ponytail and hurried towards him as calmly as I could, hoping I'd find Aimi.

He turned to us and greeted us warmly. "Hey, guys. How did you all do?"

"Shikamaru, have you seen Aimi?" Temari asked. She seemed a little worked up, as if she too was beginning to worry about Aimi upon seeing that she wasn't here.

"Nope. I haven't seen her since you arrived with her and I've been here since it started. It's a drag but I promised Ino and Choji I'd be here. Such a pain."

I didn't have time for his complaining. "I'm going after her," I declared, moving to leave just as Kankuro grabbed my arm.

"Gaara, you're overreacting. She's probably fine and you're just worrying for no reason. Calm down and let's celebrate that we passed the first test with our friends," he reprimanded, glaring at me.

I ripped my arm out of his grasp and glared at him, just as Temari chipped in. "No, Kankuro. Gaara's right, this isn't _like_ Aimi."

"What're you guys talking about?" Shikamaru asked just as the Leaf genin spilled out onto the courtyard, Choji, Ino and Sakura, heading straight for us.

Temari spoke hurriedly to the boy she held clear affection for, trying to get her point in before she could be cut off. "Shikamaru, I know you promised you'd stay here but would you mind just coming with-"

"Shikamaru, Shikamaru! We passed!" the blonde named Ino yelled at her teammate, jumping around excitedly. The larger boy next to her, Choji, pulled out a bag of potato chips and began munching on the contents happily.

"That's great," Shikamaru said, smiling at his companions.

"Look, Shikamaru, we need your help," Temari said firmly and I grunted my exasperation, letting her know that I was getting impatient.

"He's busy celebrating with his team," Ino shot at Temari, glaring at her and putting a dainty little hand on Shikamaru's arm.

I knew what was coming. Temari saw red.

"Look, Shikamaru, we think Aimi could be in trouble! It's just not like her to disappear!" she exclaimed, causing him to look at her. I knew what he was thinking. She was definitely one of the Sand Siblings, scary as hell and full of conviction. "Now, are you going to help us look for her or not?"

Upon hearing Aimi's name, he agreed immediately and he and Temari set off for Sasuke and Aimi's apartment, while Kankuro and I headed for the old Uchiha compound, which we were told was just south west of the village on the outskirts.

Kankuro lagged behind me, unable to keep up my pace in my haste to get to her if she _was_ in trouble.

Maybe you're overreacting, I thought to myself.

No. Aimi doesn't just run off in the middle of something for no reason and she wouldn't just not turn up at the end of the exam to see how we did. Aimi would've done everything in her power to make sure she was there.

With that resolved I reached over my shoulder and uncorked my gourd, letting the sand billow out around me.

"You're getting impatient," Kankuro warned from behind me.

"If she's within a fifty meter radius and she's in trouble, the sand will protect her," I told him simply and he gasped, remembering the moment my sand had come to Aimi's rescue, probably.

We kept running, leaping over buildings until I could see the borders to the village and the emerald tree line beyond it.

Suddenly, my sand leapt forward of its own accord, heading for a majestic building with Aimi's clan's symbol printed proudly all over the walls.

"There," I said, sprinting toward it and following it down into a wide alleyway.

Before me stood a man I recognized from the Chunin exams, the man we had been told worked for Orochimaru, with long silver hair, glasses and a kunai brandished forward. However, it was buried inches deep into a solid wall of sand, the tip of it merely a centimeter from the neck of Aimi Uchiha.

She looked absolutely beat, bruised and cut up. Her wrist was sticking out at an awkward angle and she was holding herself differently, a large deep gash running down her arm visibly, where her jumpsuit was split open. It dripped scarlet blood onto the ground below her. The demon inside me purred at the sight of her blood, the man inside me roaring at the sight of her pain.

She was backed up against a wall, sandwiched between it and the sand. How had she gotten into this state? She was stronger than this. She was breathing hard and straining backward to escape the kunai, saved only by the sand. She twisted her head to the left and I saw tears spill over her eyes. Her Sharingan was deactivated. Things must have been bad.

"Boy, am I glad to see you two!" she choked, her eye blackened as if she'd been punched.

Inside me, flames tore through my veins. To bruise her, he must've hit her with his fists; he must've hit a woman. _My_ woman.

The man turned to me then, Kabuto was his name. He backed up and folded his arms, smirking and leaving his kunai in the sand. "Ah, and now the Sand village turn up to save their precious Aimi."

"I'll kill you," I rasped at him, the sand swelling around me, like an animal warning its enemy not to mess with it. This guy was _dead._

"So you're the desert rat Sasuke was talking about, infatuated with the baby of the clan," he said, his eyes mocking as he looked at me. He was either arrogant or stupid to think he'd survive this. "I've just been imparting to Aimi some words of wisdom."

"Fuck you," she spat from behind the wall, unable to muster any more strength. Kabuto reached out for the kunai again, almost faster than I could compact the sand to stop him forcing it further through so that it made contact with Aimi's neck. Almost.

He tried regardless and chuckled, appraising me once again. Aimi remained frozen, still breathing hard in her exhaustion.

"Aimi will most certainly come to Lord Orochimaru in search of her brother, and after this, in search of power. As it stands, she's an embarrassment to her clan."

Frankly, I'd had enough. I launched the sand at him.

However, his glasses flashed and he smirked, placing his hands together _leisurely_ in a hand sign.

_**CRACK.  
**_  
He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"That bastard!" Kankuro yelled behind me, only now just participating. I knew why he hadn't used his puppets; he was frightened Aimi would get caught in the crossfire.

Aimi fell to her knees, just as the sand protecting her fell to the ground uselessly, Kabuto's kunai still buried in it.

She began to sob softly then, sat on the hard, dirty ground so close to the entrance of her family's old residence with her head in her hands, her hair curtaining her face. The gash down her arm only looked nastier the more I looked at it.

Kankuro and I stood in silence, not sure what to say. He stepped forward then and went to pick up the kunai left by the intruder, saying nothing. He probably didn't know what to say. Just then, he knelt by Aimi and tugged lightly on her hand, pulling it away from her face.

"How's my little sister doing?" he said to her gently, kindly. Judging from the way Kabuto had been goading her, I knew that her response could swing one of two very polarized ways.

She surprised me once again, leaping forward into his arms and whispering to him, "Thank you."

He leaned his head down into her shoulder and hugged her. She was still crying a little and I stood by shamefully, almost _jealous_ that I wasn't the one to comfort her. "Let's get you to the hospital. You look a little beat up," he commented, picking her up bridal style, stirring further embers of jealousy up inside of me.

And the thing was, as she lay in my brother's arm, cut up, bruised and with a shiner, she still looked beautiful and my heart ached that I was not the one to comfort her and that I had almost lost her. If we'd been but a second or two later, who knows what would've happened?

**Aimi's POV**

"So, let me get this straight, he turned up, offered for you to join Orochimaru and then you started fighting when you declined said offer?" Kankuro asked, leaning backward on his chair in between Gaara and Temari.

It was the morning after my run in with Kabuto and I was lying in a hospital bed, all healed up, my shiner gone thankfully. They were keeping me in to check my wrist would set okay and to check on my arm and the muscles inside it. The Sand Siblings were preparing to set off for the second exam soon but they'd decided to come and see me in hospital beforehand.

"Yep. We'd been at it for a hell of a long time before you turned up. It was really hard. I could only use taijutsu since he evaded my Sharingan. Every time I landed a good hit on him, he healed himself. Damn medics, they're _cheats_," I complained, squirming in my bed, desperate to get out.

"Why didn't you just use ninjutsu?" Temari inquired, giving me an odd look.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a long range fighter and all my ninjutsu are big badass moves that destroy the terrain. I was on home ground, I'm not about to destroy my childhood home," I scoffed, folding my arms and looking at Gaara. His gaze was on the floor, not looking at me. He hadn't said a word to me since it happened and I was getting worried.

_Was he angry with me?_

"That's true... And he must've known that!" Temari concluded, realizing that he must've indeed decided that he'd have the advantage if he was to battle me there where I couldn't land any of my ninjutsu without destroying my home. "He must've seen your moves at the Chunin exams. Didn't Baki say that he was there in the crowd the whole time?"

Kankuro nodded. "You need to be more careful next time, Aimi."

I shook my head. "It was just a one off. Like Lady Tsunade said, security should've been tighter. It won't happen again."

The Hokage had visited me late last night to apologize and ask for a full run down of what happened. I gave it her gladly and she expressed her sympathy. "_I'm sorry, Aimi_," she had said. "_You seem to always be given the short straw."  
_  
"Anyway, we need to get going. The second test starts in an hour," Temari stated, getting to her feet, as did her brothers, Gaara still sullenly glaring at the floor.

God, he could sulk. What was _wrong_?

They headed for the door, Gaara at the back.

The older two bid me farewell with, "Bye, Aimi" and, "Later, little sister," and headed out first.

Just before Gaara could follow them, I called from my hospital bed, "Gaara?"

He turned to me reluctantly then, turning his sea foam eyes on me, glaring at me with obvious irritation now.

"Gaara, what's wrong? Why're you so mad at me?" I asked, imploring him to talk to me. I felt feeble under his gaze, feeling myself weaken at the sight of him, blood red hair and eyes the color of the sea in beautiful tropical lands. How many girls like me looked at him and saw what I did?

He stepped forward then, coming to the edge of my bed and looking me straight in the face for the first time. "You were stupid to run off like that. Don't do it again."

He sounded so serious, so angry, that I recoiled a little.

"You don't control me," I said icily, trying to defend my actions and holding his gaze right back. "I can take care of myself. I'm an Uchiha, I can fight my own battles."

"And look where you've ended up."

"Excuse me?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I shot at him, feeling anger boil up inside of me.

"No man is an island, Aimi. If you'd just have waited for us... It's not safe. You're the _last_ Uchiha; you've got a bounty on your head in more ways than one. I'm just trying to protect you." It was the most I'd heard him speak for a long while. He usually didn't voice his opinions or his intentions unless it was absolutely necessary. He was deadly serious right now.

His words hurt as I felt distant memories crawl into my mind, dragging themselves to the forefront of my consciousness.

"Don't," I whispered, looking down at my hands. Suddenly, the anger, the frustration, the pain at losing Sasuke boiled over. "For God's sake, don't _say things like that_!"

"Why not?"

"BECAUSE THE LAST PERSON I LOVED WHO SWORE TO PROTECT ME LEFT AND NEVER CAME BACK!"

* * *

**Author's Note: DECLARATION, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. How do you think Gaara will react? **

**Also, I will be having Aimi learn Sage Mode. Review and guess which animal I'll be affiliating her with. I'll give you a clue, it stems from a canon idea to do with the Uchihas.**

**Also, if you leave me a review with a fanfic rec for any good Naruto romance fics, I'll PM you and tell you which animal I shall be affiliating her with. So give me recs! I'm running dry on good fanfics to read. It can be any pairing as long as it's not one of those AUs or high school fics. So tell me, what other Naruto fics are you reading right now?**

**REVIEW please? :)  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. I did just read a really bad fic though and it leaves such a bad taste in your mouth. Boo.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how,_

_I've never heard silence quite this loud._

**_- Taylor Swift, Story of Us_**

* * *

Silence.

He stared at me and I ripped my gaze from him and stared at the pristine wall directly in front of me, praying to God that I hadn't just said those words, his shock of red hair forever in the edge of my vision and the corner of my mind.

_No, no. Rewind, rewind. I take it back, I take it back_, I thought to myself.

I wished I'd been lying but I hadn't. I wished I hadn't said it.

I looked back at him and found his lime eyes were still trained on me, no longer wide with shock. He looked as if he was waiting for me to say something, anything.

"I- I'm sorry," I muttered, looking down at my hands, clasped together in my lap.

Nothing. Silence.

And he was still watching me.

"I didn't mean it. Well, I meant it. But - I didn't mean it to come out like that. I meant it in a -" I was blabbering now. "I mean, I just want... that wasn't the right time."

I looked up at him then. He was still watching me, his expression unfathomable.

"The first time I told you that, I didn't want to have to explode it at you in anger... and I certainly didn't want to be the one to say it first."

At my final words, his head snapped to the window, watching out onto the world, the azure sky soaring over this vibrant bloodless village.

I couldn't wait. The anxiety burned my stomach like acid as I anticipated his answer. "Gaara, say something?" I begged. "Say anything, please. This is killing me."

He looked back at me then and his gaze went further than the shallow color of my irises, deeper. He was trying to read me. _Could he see the pain?_

"I'm late. I need to get to the second test. We'll talk about this later," he stated emotionlessly.

Anger seethed within me at his cool words, his empty gaze. It was like when we'd first met. "Are we back to that? Seriously?! Are we back there?!"

"Later," he repeated and he left, sliding the door shut behind him.

But not before I murmured, "Coward."

I regretted it almost instantaneously. I could lose him for this. I _knew_ how awkward he was about the "L" word.

_Awkward isn't even the word,_ I thought to myself_. Love had been a foreign concept to him not so long ago.  
_  
_Had been._

But we'd never talked about it because I'd been far too worried that I could lose him if I pushed him too hard. But the way he protected Kankuro and Temari fearlessly, the way he fought with them and did things for them. Like when he vacuumed sometimes when Temari was fatigued or when he'd go out with Kankuro and they'd train together. When he cleaned the bathroom mirror with washing up liquid that day because he didn't know which one was the bathroom cleaner, he'd just wanted to help Temari when she complained that she did all the chores. When he'd read a cookbook and _still _managed to burn the rice. But he did it because Kankuro had worked so hard at the academy that day. He never said anything or declared he was about to do those things but yet they were all signs of love.

The way he took great care in planning Matsuri and the others' training. The way he gave a small smile to those in the village as he timidly tried to make headway in rebuilding burnt bridges.

The way he protected Naruto, Matsuri and the rest of his friends - me? - it all pointed to love.

Did he love me? I hadn't even thought about it. Did he see me the same way I saw him?

But whether or not he loved me, it was undeniable that Gaara did love, albeit cautiously. But whether or not he was ready to accept that he himself was loved, _truly_ loved, I did not know.

I would've thought he should already know I loved him. How I loved his unruly rebellious blood red hair, the tanuki markings on his mint green eyes, that small smile and the way he folded his arms unconsciously almost constantly. Didn't he realize after all the kisses and the secret glances, the smiles and the night of his birthday party?

Maybe he was just so in denial that anybody could love him that it hadn't crossed his mind. Had he thought this whole time that I'd touched him the way I had on his birthday, on _any _day, for reasons other than love?

And then I felt sympathy and pain, because if he truly thought I'd done that for any other reason than sheer love, what if I'd hurt him?

In that moment, it didn't matter to me whether or not he loved me back anymore. I prayed that he'd believe me, that he'd keep it close to his heart, that he'd grown enough to realize that he was my world. I hoped I hadn't messed him up for the test.

Who was I kidding? He was Gaara of the Desert. Even on his worst days, he still kicked ass, stood there motionlessly with his arms folded and a look on his face that was almost bored.

But even though I knew he could take care of himself, these next five days while he was in the Forest of Death would be torture.

Three days after the second test had begun, I was visited at the apartment the Sand Siblings rented and I stayed at by an ANBU members in an ivory cloak. It had been empty and cold without Kankuro watching crappy television, Temari polishing that great fan of hers and complaining about his "taste in life". And without him.

"Lady Hokage would like to speak with you," the ANBU shinobi said behind a mask marked with murine features.

"What? Now?" I asked, dumbfounded. We were in the midst of the Chunin exams, I would've thought she was too busy arranging the exams and checking everything went smoothly.

_Especially after last time,_ I thought wryly.

"Yes. As soon as possible. Please make your way there now," the masked man instructed. With a "poof" and a cloud of smoke, he was gone.

I smiled and left immediately, locking the door behind me and making my way to the red domed building right under the Hokage faces.

I entered swiftly and made my way up to the Lady Tsunade's office, still thinking about Gaara, worrying that I'd done some damage to him or to us.

I knocked at the door loudly, making myself known.

"Come in," I heard a resilient feminine voice order from inside.

I let myself into the oval room, messy piles of books and scrolls scattered everywhere, and gasped at the sight before me.

A familiar face.

"Granny Cat?!" I asked, rushing forward to hug the woman who had been supplying the Uchiha clan for many years, decades even.

She laughed heartily and hugged me back. "My, my, dear Aimi. I remember when you were just a kitten. And here you are, growing up right before my eyes."

"Granny Cat, have you seen Sasuke or Itachi recently?" I asked, feeling my face fall at the thought of my brothers, the only remnants of blood family I had left.

She gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry, sweetheart but I'm not supposed to divulge client information, it's confidential."

I nodded sharply, understanding. She couldn't take sides on this one. Especially now all three of us were walking different paths, Itachi with the Akatsuki, Sasuke with Orochimaru and then me.

"Granny Cat has come here to speak with you specifically," Lady Tsunade said, speaking for the first time and surveying the scene with those bright chocolate eyes.

"What's up?" I asked, stepping back and beaming at the woman from my childhood, with cheerful wrinkles and unruly wiry gray hair.

"Well, Aimi, since you were attacked by Kabuto recently, it comes at a good time," Tsunade told me. "As an Uchiha kunoichi, it seems that the final baton passes to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking from my Hokage to Granny Cat.

"Aimi kitten, you come from a long line of Uchihas, the men of which were known for their ocular prowess and their ruthless ferocity. The women of the clan had a secret. There seemed to be few daughters born to the Uchiha clan, but those to be born into the lineage were taught something that made them formidable," Granny Cat said, watching me carefully.

"What was it?" I asked, mesmerized, completely ignorant of Tsunade's careful gaze and Shizune's wary stare.

"To be Sages, cat sages."

"Sages? What's a sage?" I gasped. "Huh, is that why we come to you, Granny Cat?"

"You certainly picked that up fast, sweetheart. A sage is a person who can harness the strength of natural energy and mold it with their existing chakra to dramatically empower all of their abilities. They usually do this by affiliating with a particular type of animal, in the Uchiha clan's case - cats."

"Granny Cat has requested many times to visit you since you became a genin, I am told, in order to offer you Sage training. However, given the current situation, I think now it is important for you to undergo this training to get stronger and to embrace your lineage," Tsunade explained, smiling at me.

"Did... did my mother learn it?" I asked shyly, hopefully, as I looked at the elderly lady from a foreign place.

"Mikoto was my greatest pupil," Granny Cat confirmed.

"She was?" I asked, beaming.

"She truly was. And her last request to me was that I would be the one to teach you first how to summon cats, big cats and then onto Sagedom when the time came. That time is now, little kitten. We will make you a lioness before the month is up."

"A month? I can't go away for a month," I protested. "I've got friends, the Chunin exams!"

"Aimi, your friends will be getting stronger and preparing for the exams during this time anyway," Tsunade said, trying to calm me.

"But I could help them!"

"Wouldn't it be better to come back with your own tricks up your sleeve?" Shizune interrupted apprehensively, giving me an apologetic smile for cutting in.

"That's true, I guess… And I would like to summon a tiger to go up against Naruto's toads when he's back... Hey! Isn't Master Jiraiya a toad sage? What does it even mean anyway? I don't get it!"

Tsunade chuckled. "Impatient as always," she commented fondly as she gazed at me. "Aimi, go and get prepared for a month away from the Leaf Village. I'd like to see you in one month to see how your training went."

"You got it, ma'am. I promise I'll come back and I'll have made my mother and you proud," I promised her cheerfully, however feeling a pang in my heart. A month away from my friends, from Temari, Kankuro... and Gaara. "I get to see Tamaki too, don't I?"

"You will indeed. But trust me, Aimi, achieving Sage Mode is not easy and you will be worked to the bone," Granny Cat warned. "It took your mother a very long time to achieve it."

"I'll do it in a month, I promise. You watch, a month is all I need," I vowed, folding my arms and smirking. "And then I'll be back to see my friends and watch them all become Chunin." And Gaara...

The thoughts of our kisses and when I'd told him how I felt about him spilled through my brain.

Would he want me if I was stronger? Would he miss me if I was gone?

I was going to put my heart and soul into this training and then when I came home, Gaara and I would talk.

**One month later...**

I walked through the gates of the Leaf Village alone. It was the day of the Chunin exams: third test and the sun shone sweetly down on the world, bathing me in a warm glow. It was far less oppressive than the Raion Plains, where I'd been this past month, Sage training.

This would be a perfect day for Shiga, I thought wryly, thinking of the great lion, all teeth and mane, the chief of all the cats, now my default summon.

We'd started on summons and I'd quickly gone from a little black cat, to a leopard and then finally to all seven feet of Shiga who at first could not believe I could've managed to summon him.

"I thought Mikoto was long dead," he had mused in a deep, booming voice as he surveyed me with majestic golden eyes.

"She is. This is her only daughter, Aimi," Granny Cat had informed the huge cat.

We'd begun their relationship gingerly but slowly, we had begun to trust each other and my Sage training started. I'd finally mastered it not a week ago and that was when Shiga had sat me down and discussed the secrets of this Sage Mode with me, combined with the Sharingan.

"Your mother thought there was a way that by combining this Sage Mode with something else, something stronger, that one could unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan without the Curse of Hatred," Shiga had said, sitting before me proudly one night by the Oiru stream.

"The Mangkeyo Sharingan? What was it? What's the something else?" I asked desperately, leaning forward.

"If we knew that, it wouldn't be 'something else'," Shiga commented sarcastically. "Your mother tried everything alongside her marriage and duties to the clan. She researched and trained tirelessly right up until your eldest brother's birth, to find a way to unlock the secrets of the Sharingan, to find something stronger. As you know, to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan, you must mix the love of your best friend with hatred, darkness and suffering to then _kill_. You must blacken your heart."

I had first wondered about it but it slowly began to drive me crazy. Why could my mother not manage it? She was kind, pure and full of love. How could she not have managed it? The opposite of hate was love. "Love conquers all" they would say, and my mother was happily married, kind, pure and loved. So what was it?

After a while, I decided to try to put the thoughts of it out of my mind because I was driving myself absolutely crazy. I focused on seeing Gaara next, wondering what he'd say and praying to the heavens that he had succeeded in the Chunin exams. Lord knows he just wanted affirmation and respect from his village and maybe this would finally give him that if he could show how he'd changed.

How on earth I had managed to not have an anxiety attack, I did not know.

But today, I would finally speak to him.

As I walked down the main boulevard, taking in the familiar sights, people were beginning to trickle towards the arena at the edge of the village now, a few shinobi from different villages joining the stream.

I was headed for the Hokage building, having agreed with Granny Cat that I was strong enough to handle this meeting alone.

I felt... powerful. As if now, I might be a match for Sasuke. Maybe even Gaara.

_Gaara..._

I entered the building just as I had one month earlier, except a little more lithely after all my training. My grace had improved and my step was nimble. I knocked on the door to the Hokage's office just as I had the previous month and heard the familiar, "Come in."

I stepped in and I smiled at the sight before me.

The Hokage sat at her large mahogany desk, her red Kage hat on her head and Shizune at her side. Shikamaru Nara stood in front of her, wearing a long sleeved black sweater underneath his chunin vest with his headband pinned to his arm now, rather than his old attire. He gave a small smile as he appraised me.

"You go away for a month and come slinking back all elegant like that? Man, Ino could do with some of that training," he observed, watching me closely.

I grinned at him. "Says you, Mister could-not-be-more-dressed-like-a-Chunin-if-he-trie d? You got something to prove today of all days, Shikamaru?"

He smirked, but not before Tsunade could interject. "Now, now, you two. I can see your training went well, Aimi. Did you achieve what we discussed?"

I nodded. "You bet, m'lady. I did it. It took me a hell of a long time and I worked my butt off, but I told you I'd do it, didn't I? Man, that training's rough. I can't believe I've been away a whole month. Hey, Shikamaru, how's Temari?"

Was it me or were his cheeks a little red? "She's fine. Anyway, how should I know?" he said defensively, but reverting back to a soft tone as he said, "I think she's missed you though."

"I missed her too. Hey, m'lady? Can I go and watch the Chunin exams?" I asked.

"Hold on, Aimi. There are a few more things I need to discuss with you," she informed me, raising a hand to try to calm me. "First of all, I only want you to use _that_ technique in life threatening situations. I don't want word getting out to the enemy that you _know_ that sort of stuff, it will only increase your value."

I nodded and Shikamaru looked between us both, confused. "Huh?"

So no one was to know I was a Sage.

"Second of all, I do still want you back in the Sand village. I've discussed it with the elders and the feudal lord since the Kazekage still hasn't been decided and they are coming to watch the Chunin exams. For now, Kabuto will think you're in the Leaf village, so it's best for you to be away from the village in case they attack anytime soon. Plus, I still want you to continue to take some time from the village to get some space, as discussed. I've already agreed it with Gaara and the others. They're becoming quite the diplomats."

"You spoke to Gaara?" I inquired, perking up at the sound of his name and looking at my leader.

"Yes. He seemed rather in favor of you returning, it seemed," Tsunade commented, watching my expression closely.

So, he wasn't mad at me and he still wanted to see me. "Oh, thank god," I sighed.

"Something wrong?" Tsunade asked, with a flash of humor in her eyes.

"What?! No!" I answered, a little too quickly. "It's just... you know, always nice to be wanted." I laughed nervously.

She gave me a look that clearly said she was unconvinced.

"Aimi, I know it's a drag but I promised Ino and Choji I'd meet them there to watch the matches. Wanna come with?" Shikamaru asked me. He was completely at ease with himself, totally at home. Most men would feel too nervous to just outright ask a woman to accompany them anywhere, on a date or in a friendly way in case it _seemed_ like a date. I admired him for that.

"Sure," I agreed, happy to get away from Lady Tsunade's suspicious eyes. "Lady Tsunade, shouldn't you be on your way there?"

She nodded. "I'll see you there, you two."

We bid her farewell and left her office and then the Hokage tower, heading for the arena. Nostalgia flooded through me as Shikamaru and I walked side by side. "So, Ino and Choji didn't make it through?" I asked, starting a conversation as I bathed in the warmth of the sun. We walked with a growing crowd milling towards the arena, fellow shinobi and citizens jabbering excitedly about the upcoming matches.

"Nope. Neither did Sakura. Although, Ino and Sakura both forfeited when they were pitted against each other in the preliminaries so they chose to lose, you could say," Shikamaru explained, analyzing the situation at every turn.

"So, who's through then? Who's fighting?" I asked as the arena came into view in all its glory. I imagined Gaara there, already there, preparing to fight for the respect of his village. Who else was there?

"Well, there's Gaara. Then there's Temari and Kankuro. And then Shino, Kiba, Lee, Neji and some guy from the Hidden Rain village all made it through. Everyone else got knocked out in the preliminaries, Choji told me. He said it was as tough as last year," he explained. "Oh well, at least there'll be plenty of potato chips available when we sit down with them."

I nodded and beamed. "That's true."

"So where've you been anyway for the past month? It's been quiet without you and Naruto," Shikamaru said as we walked through the main entrance along with dozens of other people and headed up the stairs into the stands. I noticed how gloomy the steep stairway was as we ascended and I felt a little claustrophobic.

"Ah, it's a secret, Shika dear. I'll tell you when you're twenty one," I teased, tapping my nose as we reached the balcony overlooking the many rows of seats. "Now, where to find Sakura, Ino and Choji?"

"I can see them all from here. They're sat with _everyone_," Shikamaru stated, pointing down to an area in the arena where indeed, I could see a shock of pink among many other familiar forms.

As we headed toward them, I took them all in, Choji eating potato chips sat with Ino and Sakura - they must've gotten close in these exams, the three of them. Even Hinata sat on Sakura's other side. Her hair had gotten longer since I'd last seen her and her eyes still held the same purity and innocence as always. Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei sat by Hinata, looking rather close, involving Hinata in a conversation that sounded like it was about Kiba and Shino's rivalry. A row back sat Tenten with an anticipating grin, Gai-sensei next to her and next to him...

"Kakashi-sensei!" I called, running down to my teacher and coming to a stop by him. I hadn't realized how much faster I was than before so I was confused when he gave a shocked expression before faltering and smiling at me behind that navy mask.

"Hi there, Aimi. I trust your training went well," he said, patting the seat next to him. Shikamaru and I sat by him so we were just behind Ino and Choji, who turned around to talk to their teammate excitedly. Choji even offered him a bag of potato chips as long as Shikamaru understood it was "hands off the barbecue".

"It really did, sensei. Did Lady Tsunade tell you what it was?"

He nodded then, suddenly serious. "I'm glad to see you're progressing well. Are you looking forward to seeing Gaara fight?"

I laughed nervously then and flushed. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm excited to see everyone fight."

Did everyone know how I felt for him? Was I that obvious?

He gave me a knowing look and, although it seemed like he was about to say something, he was cut off by his old rival, still desperate to outmaneuver Kakashi, even if that meant cutting him off and talking to _his_ pupil first. "Ah, Aimi! How nice it is to see _you_," he said pointedly, emphasizing certain words as usual for dramatic effect.

Honestly, Gai-sensei could have a one man show all to himself.

"Are you ready to watch the match? It'll be a _tough_ one_. Lee_ versus _Neji_," he lilted as if he were on stage, performing to a great audience. Some people were too enthusiastic for me these days after having Sasuke as a brother, Kakashi-sensei as a teacher and Gaara as a... well, whatever we were.

"Lee versus Neji?" I queried more to Shikamaru than anyone else. Sometimes, I wondered about all the times that Shikamaru had been there for us all more than we realized.

I'd always teased him for being lazy, but he'd been there since I was young. I remembered when I was in the hospital and he'd been there by my hospital bedside with a nervous smile and a wilting daffodil he'd picked one late spring evening on his way to see me.

I remembered him holding me on the day of the Third's funeral, the sky weeping with us and making Sasuke promise to take care of me.

As Shikamaru said, "Yeah, they're the third match, like I said," I wondered vaguely if behind the lazy groans and the easy yawns, he was angry at my brother for having broken a promise to him.

I wondered if he wanted to bring him home and rewind it all like Naruto did and give him the chance to start again.

I wondered if after that last mission when we'd gone to retrieve him, if he'd changed his mind. Or if like me, after that attack from Kabuto that my brother must've warranted if he felt like I did.

The situation with Sasuke vaguely pulled a memory to the forefront of my mind.

It was the day I'd knocked my mother's favorite china teapot from the counter to the polished wooden floor of our kitchen.

Somehow, most of it had escaped harm, except for the elegant curve of the handle, taken clean off the body of the teapot.

I had thought it strange when I was young, but I was somehow thankful.

_Maybe I can just fix it by pushing the handle back to the teapot and it'll stick!_ I had thought, panicking as I had remembered the fury of my mother's face when angered, her brow furrowed and her mouth spitting words that seared my little heart.

And I had tried. I held the pieces together, wishing that my will alone and sheer luck would force the pieces back together and heal over the wounded fissure.

But it was no use. Something as delicate as china cannot be unbroken.

My mother had yelled and father had given me a stern look and sent me to my room, declaring I was not to be allowed dinner.

As the sun fell from its almighty perch in the darkening sky and the innocent tears dried on my face, Sasuke had crept into my room with a sad look in his big obsidian eyes and a rice ball.

"I saved this for you," he whispered and handed it to me.

"Momma's gonna kill you," I hissed back warningly, however taking the food from him gratefully.

"It doesn't matter what Mother says. I'll always be here for you," he had promised.

It was too bad we weren't kids anymore. Kids don't realize how long a life they've got in front of them, how much time they have before them, all the chances they'll have to break the promises they made when they were five.

"Aimi? Snap out of it, it's starting."

* * *

**Author's Note: Review and let me know if you want me to post tomorrow since I think it might only be fair with so little interaction this chapter. I'll do it if you ask, I guess.**

**Also, just letting you know that for the next chapter, I shall not be giving detailed explanations of the battles because a) I'm writing this story because of all the **_**love **_**and b) I'm really bad at fight scenes. So just a heads up.**

**I stole the teapot analogy from Lotos-Eater. Check her stuff out, she's incredible. **

**Also, why do you think Mikoto couldn't perfect the Mangekyo Sharingan? What do you think Gaara will say?**

**As I said, review and let me know if you want the next chapter by tomorrow night. **


	25. Chapter 25

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. I did just write this in twenty four hours though. Man, I'm beat.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_So explain to me how it came to this,_

_Take it back to the night we kissed._

**_- The Script, Before the Worst_**

* * *

Shikamaru was right, it was starting. In the corner of my eye, I saw Kakashi-sensei lean back into the bench and fold his arms, relaxing. For him, this was leisure time, watching a good few battles.

The competitors walked out onto the stage, the terrain exactly the same as it was for the exam last time, all green trees and patches of grass, a little too precise to seem realistic. And it certainly wouldn't stay like that for long.

Gai-sensei was already on his feet, cheering as two of his team filed out onto the pitch, although I suspected it was a little more for his spandex-clad protégé than Neji.

I clapped politely and my heart skipped as I could just see the splash of blood red hair and the indifferent expression.

"Is that Gaara... of the Desert? The Fourth's son?"

"Yeah. I heard he's changed, you know. He saved Tai's daughter, Matsuri when she was kidnapped."

"Huh. He certainly seems calmer. I'm putting my money on him. After all, I didn't come all this way not to support one of our own."

I smiled warmly as I heard the Sand shinobi's conversation from behind me. Was he finally starting to win the trust of his people?

People were betting on him.

He was flanked by his brother and sister who looked confident and stern in equal degrees, Temari's huge fan glinting in the sunlight. All that polishing looked like it had paid off.

In my heart, I felt myself cheering them on just as strongly, if not more so than my Leaf comrades because they were my comrades too, my friends... my family.

The proctor this time was Kotetsu. I was used to seeing his dark spiky hair and knowing eyes at the front gate with his counterpart, Izumo but here he was, commanding the Chunin exams with exceptional prowess, it seemed.

"May I have your attention everyone?" he called to the crowd in a steady, austere tone. "Welcome to the third test of these Chunin exams. The first match will be Kankuro vs Temari-"

"What?!" I spluttered, turning to Shikamaru, shock evident on my features. _How had he not told me this earlier?  
_  
"-Followed by Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. After that, we will have Rock Lee versus Neji Hyuga and finally, Za Haiboku versus Gaara. I ask that you, the audience, be respectful and courteous to each participant."

I giggled and elbowed Shikamaru who was smiling wryly. "Not like that time they started throwing things at you, buddy, right?"

But still, as he called forth Temari and Kankuro, I wondered how difficult this last month had been for them, having fought on a team all of their lives. They were a family. They ate together, grew up together, laughed together, cried together.

And now to have to be pit against each other like this?

I couldn't imagine the inner turmoil, having all the intel you needed on your opponent already, but having no intent to harm at all. How would they do this?

_Would _they do this?

Because at that moment as Kankuro and his elder sister faced off against each other, with Kotetsu in the middle, ready to signal the beginning of the match, Kankuro raised a shaking hand.

"I withdraw," he yelled firmly, quite the contrast to the obvious shaking in his raised hand, which he clasped into a fist. "I refuse to fight my sister."

Temari looked just as shocked as he did, frozen uncharacteristically. Kankuro stepped forward then and reached one arm around his sister in an awkward hug. He whispered something to her, too far away for me to hear.

"He's withdrawing? For his sister?" Ino asked incredulously, no longer caring as she had a moment ago about Choji munching too loudly.

"It's understandable, I guess. If I had to fight Sasuke, I'd withdraw too," I commented, without realizing I'd said it aloud. Kakashi-sensei gave me a strange look then as if what I'd say had some ethereal profoundness. But it didn't, it was just an observation.

"Still, that's the second time he's withdrawn from the Chunin exams. Doesn't he want to be a Chunin?" Sakura asked, beginning to sound a little frustrated as she watched Temari playfully shove her younger brother as they stalked off, back toward the participants' viewing area.

"He probably wants to be, it's just not worth him hurting his teammate and sister. He's making a sacrifice," Kakashi-sensei observed, just as Kiba and Shino came out together onto the battlefield. "That's a valuable trait for a chunin, being able to make a very difficult sacrifice in order to protect the life of someone important, being able to draw the line and to know your limits. While it shows logic, it also shows compassion."

"Kakashi's right, it's a trait that doesn't come along very often, especially in shinobi. It speaks to his character," Gai agreed, nodding and folding his arms, in a similar position as his "greatest rival".

"Hmm. I never would've figured that," Sakura commented serenely as she and Ino turned back to the battle that was about to commence.

In my heart, I so wanted to go down there, to hug Kankuro and Temari, to thank Kankuro for his sacrifice because I could not have handled watching the two of them go all out to the death.

"After all, they would've either killed each other or one of them would've _had_ to withdraw," I concluded, as Kiba and Shino faced off against each other.

Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru both nodded.

"Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame..." Kotetsu began.

"Isn't it a similar situation in this match though? _And_ Lee and Neji's? They're teammates. This must be hard for all of them all," I surmised.

"It's different for Kiba and Shino," Kurenai stated, turning to us now from the row below and allowing a smile to grace her beautiful features.

"As it is for Lee and Neji," Gai agreed. "They've been rivals ever since Team Gai was formed. So for them, they've been anticipating this, to settle once and for all who's better."

"Exactly the same with Kiba and Shino," Kurenai said, nodding. "They're polar opposites, and for them, this is a war of ideologies. It's a battle between passionate ferocity and calm logic."

"Does it remind you of anyone, Aimi?" Kakashi inquired, as if he were merely asking my opinion on the weather.

I nodded fiercely. "Naruto and Sasuke."

Kiba and Shino's fight began in earnest, with Kiba wasting no time getting started. Akamaru was only getting bigger, seeming to have transformed into the size of a small wolf since I'd last seen him. He was growing with Kiba, the two of their lives intrinsically linked.

He attacked Shino with everything he had but he couldn't get a handle on him. Every time Kiba attacked him, Shino's body dispersed into nothing more than a pile of beetles. Before long, Akamaru had been taken down by the beetles, sprawled out across the battlefield. Kiba was far too distraught about his best friend's downfall to notice as Shino sprinted toward him, moving faster than I'd ever seen, possibly faster than Kiba _himself_ could move.

Then, Shino punched his teammate in the stomach and sent him flying across the field, a rivulet of blood streaming from Kiba's mouth, staining the battlefield.

He landed, splayed out unnaturally and Hinata, Ino, Sakura and I all gasped.

"Kiba!" Hinata squeaked, one dainty little hand over her mouth.

"Hinata, he'll be okay," Kurenai reassured her calmly, although her frantic eyes didn't seem so sure.

"Since his opponent is unable to continue, the winner is Shino Aburame," Kotetsu declared, just as medical ninjas ran onto the field and gathered Kiba onto a stretcher. Applause rose up from the stadium for the heir to one of the great noble clans of the Leaf village.

Lee and Neji were next.

"What do you think, Tenten?" Sakura asked, turning to the older kunoichi. "Who do you think will win?"

"It's hard to say. Lee works really hard," she said, but with a glance at her sensei who was watching her closely, she added, "But Neji's... well... like I said, he's a genius."

"Even so..." Gai countered, watching the battlefield as the two rivals stared each other down. I wondered vaguely which was stronger - their rivalry or their bond as teammates.

"Begin," Kotetsu declared, leaping back immediately, out of range.

The match began slowly, with them staring each other down initially, fathoming each other out. It was futile, however; they knew, as did anyone else who knew them, that they knew each other's strategies inside out. There would be few surprises in this match.

As Tenten predicted, Neji proved his genius and no matter how much Lee tried, he could not overpower Neji, who slowly cut off every single one of Lee's chakra points.

Lee was on the verge of collapse.

I had faith that one day, he truly would beat Neji, but I did not think that day was today as he sat on his hands and knees panting heavily, truly broken.

"Lee, please give up," Neji urged, his voice holding notes of desperation. "I do not want to do this to you."

"No," Lee rasped. "I must-" he panted, "continue. I will not lose. I have my own-" he grunted in pain, "-ninja way".

"Lee, please don't make me do this," Neji said, readying himself as Lee got to his feet one more time, swaying unsteadily.

How did Gaara feel watching this from afar?

"Gai-sensei, you have to make him stop. If this continues, Lee will die! You saw what happened to Hinata last year in the preliminaries!" Tenten pleaded with her sensei, as Hinata turned around and nodded, concern etched in her pretty features.

I waited with bated breath, biting my thumb and leaning forward. Would Neji really do it? Would he _kill_ Lee to win?

"He wouldn't," Ino breathed, as if she read my mind. She was in a similar position as me, leaning forward with Sakura identical next to her.

"Lee," Sakura whispered, watching the boy who had held a torch for her for so long.

"Neji, please," Gai murmured, his hands together and his eyes towards the heaven as if he wasn't directing it at Neji but at a higher power. "You wouldn't. Please don't do this."

Just then, Neji ran at Lee. "I'll end this, _right now_!"

"NO!"

"Neji, stop!"

"Lee!"

Everyone in our group was on their feet, yelling, except for the senseis - minus Gai, of course- and Shikamaru. But still Neji ran at him and all Lee could do in his weak, vulnerable state was cross his arms over his face to protect his eyes.

Neji's fingers came up to meet Lee's temple and it looked as if he jabbed him so sharply, he might pierce through his very skin and through his brain.

"Is that the final chakra point?" Sakura asked, turning to Kakashi-sensei and me, relying on us, the remnants of Team Seven.

"No, it can't be," I breathed, watching as Lee began to fall. It seemed as if he might have hit the ground hard but Neji caught him in strong arms. "He already hit the ones on his head earlier."

"Lee," Gai repeated, sounding truly heartbroken. "Oh, Lee."

"He hit a pressure point, didn't he, sensei?" I asked, turning to Kakashi.

"He did," my teacher confirmed, bowing his head solemnly in respect, his one visible eye shut. "Rather than winning the battle by killing Lee, he ended the battle by knocking his teammate unconscious in the safest way possible."

Confusion seeped around the stadium as the civilians mused over whether or not Lee was dead, being less observant than shinobi. We were the first to start clapping. Gai-sensei looked like he might burst with simmering pride at his two students.

Soon, there were hundreds of whoops and cheers as Neji hoisted Lee onto his shoulders and carried his teammate toward the oncoming rush of medics.

"Since his opponent is unable to continue, I'm declaring Neji Hyuga as the winner."

So his teammate was more important to him than rivalry after all, I thought, feeling gratified and pleased. We were truly coming together now, all of the genin from last year.

"Gaara, Za Haiboku, please come down here."

My heart stuttered as I heard his name. I was about to watch Gaara fight, to watch him unabashedly take down an opponent. Would he be ruthless? Would he be gentle? I wasn't sure. Anticipation gushed through my veins.

Gai looked like he was close to tears when Kakashi-sensei asked, "Hey, Gai. You okay?" He was teasing him, wanting to see if he could embarrass his rival just a little further. After all, what did Kakashi have to worry about? None of his students were even participating in these exams.

Gaara appeared then, followed by a young blond man wearing a long midnight raincoat with a slow steady gait, like a drum beat. He was carrying a sheath containing six midnight umbrellas on his back. That must've been Za.

Gaara looked the same as always, calm, easy, his huge beige gourd slung on his back, white cloth wrapped around his shoulders and hips. He was totally stoic as he faced off against his opponent and I took comfort in his unconcerned expression. He was unfazed as always.

Yet somewhere in my soul, I longed to see his head thrown back in pleasure, to see his eyes closed, the black markings on his eyelids standing out boldly as they clashed with his pale skin. I imagined how his fingers gripped tightly to the bed sheets and how my name was on his lips along with various other profanities and promises.

But here he was, arms folded, sea foam green eyes focused on his opponent, as cold as I'd seen them for so long.

And it was kinda hot.

_Man, I'm weird,_ I thought wryly. _Turned on by him being all cold and indifferent. I'm glad I'm not that other guy.  
_  
"Begin," Kotetsu instructed, removing himself from the battlefield once more to allow carnage to ensue.

"You haven't got a hope in hell of beating me, kid. I mean, I know you're strong but do you honestly think you can defeat me?" Za taunted Gaara, a smirk playing on his lips. "I saw you in the preliminaries, it didn't seem like your sand enjoyed all that water from my brother, Moushiku. But I shall avenge his defeat. I wouldn't get too confident if I were you. You just got lucky."

Gaara said nothing. He'd probably figured this guy was the trash talking type, not that Gaara ever retaliated to taunting. He was as calm as a millpond, keeping totally still. He hadn't even uncorked his gourd; he just gave his opponent an icy glare.

"It's just too bad you got me as an opponent. Now, you're gonna die!" Za threatened menacingly.

Suddenly, the cork in Gaara's gourd dissolved into sand, the contents of which surged out, spilling into the air around him like a poison gas. This guy was in trouble.

"I've heard enough out of you, let's get this over with. I don't wanna waste my time on you," Gaara said coldly, humiliating his opponent significantly in merely a few words, his sand flaring out around him dangerously.

Za grunted in frustration. "You have _no_ chance against me, punk! I'll kill you _right here_!" he shouted, reaching over his shoulder, grasping at his umbrellas and unfurling them out, thrusting them at Gaara. Gaara remained unmoving and the man named Za threw them into the sky.

"What the-!" I began.

"Ninja Art: Senbon Rainstorm!" the Rain ninja barked.

"D-don't worry. I... I saw someone use the same jutsu on Gaara's team in the Forest of Death last year and his sand shield saved him," Hinata whispered, albeit much more boldly than usual. She was growing a lot, and she was a little less nervous without Naruto around I noticed.

"Gaara'll be fine then," I remarked, feeling reassured of myself, of Gaara's abilities. He wasn't described as the Ultimate Weapon for nothing. But as the senbon hurled toward Gaara, I noted that he _wasn't_ the Ultimate Weapon to me, or the Shukaku or the Fourth Kazekage's youngest son; he was Gaara, just Gaara.

Sure enough, Gaara's Sand Shield came up, just as the umbrellas fell back to earth, splintering up out of the ground unnaturally like severed limbs on a battlefield.

The senbon stuck out of Gaara's sand shield like the spikes on a porcupine, and it would've been almost comical had his expression not been so deadly.

His opponent looked incredibly taken aback and gasped, taking a huge step back. "No! It can't be!"

"What happened when Gaara was attacked with this jutsu last time, Hinata?" I asked the Hyuga heiress, exuding polite disinterest but on the inside, feeling a worried urgency.

"Er," she started, looking down at her hands. "Well, I, erm... he k-killed...them."

I nodded at her and sat back in my seat, crossing my legs and biting my thumb again. "He wouldn't," I murmured to myself, watching the man I'd had oral sex with closely.

"Aimi." Shikamaru gave me a look I didn't fully understand at that moment, cautious undertones and calming top notes.

Just then, I saw Gaara raise a hand and no more than a dozen senbon headed for Za Haiboku, spearing his body. He fell to the floor, unconscious, as the others had, and the match was over.

"And the winner is... Gaara."

I was first to my feet and first to cheer, so pleased about his victory and the fact he did it without killing his opponent. Vaguely, as I jumped on the bench and whooped, I wondered how many other girls were doing the same thing. Gaara was beautiful, strong and silent and girls would fall at his feet. He'd never have any problems getting a girl.

"As for this tier, it is now over. We'll be taking a thirty minute break to allow combatants to recuperate, after which Temari will face Shino Aburame and Neji Hyuga will fight Gaara."

I got to my feet immediately and turned to Shikamaru. "Come on, let's go see them!"

He nodded and we began to walk up the steps to the top balcony when we heard, "Hey, wait up, you two!" and "Yeah, just because you're chunin already doesn't mean you can leave us behind."

Ino, Sakura and Tenten were all in tow, wanting to talk to their friends, to see Lee, Neji and the others. I had a sneaky suspicion Shikamaru may have wanted to see someone else, however.

We arrived at the combatants' viewing area and the guards, one rather tall and handsome, the other stout and freckled let us in no problem. They were already close friends with Shikamaru apparently.

I saw Gaara immediately, deep in conversation with Temari but as soon as we walked in, he cut off.

"Hey, you," Temari greeted Shikamaru, beaming.

"Neji! How's Lee?" Tenten squealed, running to him, half immersing him in a hug that he did not return very purposely and half interested in her other teammate. Sakura and Ino were striking up a conversation with Temari, Kankuro and Shikamaru now so I walked to Gaara's side nervously, staring at the floor.

When I looked up, I felt my heart do a backflip as his striking eyes surveyed me, his wild hair fluttering around his face in the breeze. He didn't speak. It was silent and it was awkward, so very awkward.

"How've you been?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair self-consciously and folding my arms like I had seen him do so many times.

"Good."

More silence.

We just watched each other, waiting for the other one to speak first.

_Man, this better awkward phase better pass,_ I hoped internally as I watched him run his eyes down my body and back up to my face.

"You're different," he assessed, his voice complacent.

"How? I don't feel different. Is it bad? Do I have something on my face?" I reached to my face and brushed at my cheeks, relieved to find it was the same as always. "Is it a bad different?"

He gave me a small smile. "It's good."

"How do you mean different? I'm still the same person, right?" I asked, blushing, hoping I wasn't different in a "you're-different-so-I-am-no-longer-attracted-to-y ou" way.

His smile continued to play about his lips and he murmured, "You're stealthier."

With that, he turned on his heel and went to join Kankuro.

I felt the heat and blood rush to my cheeks, flushing my skin_. Things might be okay_, I thought to myself, as I committed his words to memory. _After all, stealth is sexy. It's that awesome cat sage training. Shiga did say I'd reap the rewards sooner than I thought._

Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see the tall, handsome guard from earlier, with a huge, boyish grin plastered across his face.

"Hey! You're Aimi Uchiha, right?" he inquired, standing very close to me, his eyes raking my body just as Gaara's had earlier. Except this time, I didn't like it.

"Yes," I said, nodding and beaming, although inwardly feeling a little threatened.

"I'm Shoichi Nakamura, I'm a Leaf chunin. I know Shikamaru," he told me, that grin still on his face, lighting up baby blue eyes and long eyelashes.

"Really? Cool. I know Shikamaru too... as you can tell," I said, tailing off at my own stupidity and grimacing.

He laughed then and I looked at him, really looked at him. Medium length black hair contrasting with warm baby blue eyes and a mesh undershirt. I was known to appreciate a mesh undershirt. I tried to see in him what I saw in Gaara but it just wasn't there... because he wasn't Gaara.

"Say, what're you doing after the tournament? Are you free to come out for some barbecue or something?" he asked, lacing his hands behind his head and laughing, probably trying to cover up his nerves.

Just then, at that moment, I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, pulling me into a warm body. I looked up and saw the unruly red hair and the green eyes, the embers of anger evident in them, stained the color of green, the color of jealousy.

"She's busy," Gaara said, his husky voice cold.

"Hey, buddy, I was asking h-" Shoichi began but he was cut off.

"Aimi is busy," Gaara repeated and tugged on my waist, taking me to where Temari and Shikamaru were discussing battle strategies in hushed tones.

As they saw us coming, they waved us toward them and we began conspiring with them, Gaara glancing over his shoulder at Shoichi every few minutes to check he wasn't trying to advance on me.

I caught his eye a few times and he gave me an indifferent look.

But I had known him for a long time. Gaara wasn't as indifferent as everyone seemed to think.

* * *

**Author's Note: When do you guys want the next chapter? :)  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. Nor do I own Ed Sheeran's song 'Give Me Love'. Or the boxsets of Shippuden I ordered on Amazon. AMAZON, GO TO YOUR ROOM.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_He drowns in his dreams,_

_an exquisite extreme I know._

_He's as damned as he seems,_

_and more heaven than a heart could hold._

_- **Kelly Clarkson, Beautiful Disaster**_

* * *

"The third test of the Chunin exams will now resume. Shino Aburame, Temari, come down," Kotetsu called from his position in the middle of the battlefield, already showing the scars of battle.

Shikamaru and I had long since returned to our seats in the stands, Shikamaru itching to see how Temari would do in this next battle, though he'd never admit it. As we'd left, Gaara had squeezed my hand very brazenly in front of the guy named Shoichi and shot him a dark look. It suited me just fine. If it took him being jealous for us to get back on track, I'd take it.

"Hey Shikamaru, how do you know that Shoichi guy?" I asked, my eyes down on the field where Temari and Shino were just coming out.

"I barely do. We did an assessment of border patrols together a few weeks ago, that was all," he answered, his voice nonchalant. He seemed much more interested in the battle about to take place.

"Really? He kinda made out you were pretty close," I told him, wondering if I'd imagined the way he spoke Shikamaru's name so warmly.

"Yeah, I barely know the guy. Why? What else did he say?" he asked, just as Kotetsu called the match into fruition and Ino and Sakura turned to join our conversation, obviously intrigued.

"He tried to ask me on a date," I responded truthfully, leaning forward to see Temari leap into the shadow of the arena.

"What?!" Ino shouted, breaking the quiet tense atmosphere in the crowd. Several people looked our way and glared at her but she ignored them. "That guy asked you out? Is that what he was doing?"

"I bet Gaara loved that," Shikamaru guessed sarcastically, leaning back and lacing his hands behind his head, smirking.

"Is that why Gaara went over to you all of a sudden?" Sakura questioned, watching me closely. "I saw him do that."

I nodded and we all fell silent as Shino's bugs suddenly swarmed out of his sleeves and up his collar, spilling into the air. The girls turned fully around in their seats in front of us now to watch the match.

_Well, Temari? What will you do now?_ I wondered, concerned for my friend. This guy was a strategist too, so she couldn't take any chances.

And she didn't. She didn't trash talk or ridicule him, she didn't bide her time. She simply opened her fan, dragged it backward and threw it forward, yelling, "Super Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

The entire arena was engulfed in a fury of violent slashing winds, centered all on the boy in a sea green jacket surrounded by insects.

I crossed my forearms over my face to shield myself. "He won't be able to use the bugs! They'll be cut to shreds!" I shouted over the sound of the howling gale, the battlefield hidden in clouds of dust.

"She's got this one in the bag. She didn't have to be so mean about it though. Shino is toast, he's already fought a match so he's low on chakra," Shikamaru evaluated just as the dust dissipated, clearly slowing.

Shino lay on his back, tiny slashes all over his body, black patches dotted around his body on the ground. They must've been his bugs. Were they dead? Was _he _dead?

Temari stood in the same spot, not a scratch on her, but panting heavily, holding herself up on her fan.

Shino remained unmoving and I saw Kurenai stand up out of the corner of my eye in an attempt to get a closer look at her student. "Do you think he's okay?"

"He'll be fine, Kurenai. Sit down," Asuma instructed and she did as he said.

I looked at them both then, sat there very comfortably. Their relationship seemed to go beyond professional from the way they were angled towards each other, Kurenai's legs crossed in his direction and his arm slung across the back of the bench.

The medics rushed onto the field and gathered Shino up, placing him on the stretcher.

"He'll be okay," the medic told Kotetsu in a loud voice, seemingly for the sake of those in the audience.

Kotetsu nodded and declared, "The winner is Temari."

She raised a fist in victory and we cheered and clapped, Shikamaru, Sakura, Ino and I on our feet.

"Wow! She's so strong!" Tenten observed with a tone that was somewhere between reverent awe and a harmless envy.

"Those Sand shinobi can be really ruthless. Especially her. Man, she's scary. She makes Ino look tame," Shikamaru said, as we sat down again, his tone cynical. The strange part was, deep down he truly seemed to find her dominance endearing. They matched perfectly because she needed someone to steady her and he needed someone to drag him off his ass.

Ino turned around and stuck her tongue out at him, just as Kotetsu called forth Gaara and Neji for their match.

"So, what do you think, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked my teacher, speaking to him directly for the first time since we came back from the break. "Who do you think will win this one?"

"Gaara is a long range fighter with the so-called 'ultimate defense'. Neji is the close combat type. You tell me who you think you will win," Kakashi said, still trying to teach me, to cultivate me into a fine shinobi.

I didn't need to respond.

As predicted, Gaara won easily. Neji stood no chance against Gaara's sand shield. I wondered vaguely if he believed it was his fate to lose to Gaara of the Desert in this same arena he lost to Naruto Uzumaki, another Jinchuriki.

As Gaara stood there, frozen as people applauded him, his villagers cheering their praise, I remembered the day Naruto told me he was a Jinchuriki. It was after the Chunin exams. His eyes had held the same pain as Gaara's, the same loneliness.

But here, in this stadium, both of these boys had found _themselves,_ found respect, found approval.

There was to be no break between Gaara's match with Neji and the final match - Temari versus Gaara.

_Good luck_, guys I thought, sending my wishes down to them as Kotetsu called Temari back down to the field. _Please don't hurt one another_.

"They'll be okay, right Shikamaru?" I asked him, feeling a forerunner of panic rear its ugly head in my heart as Gaara and Temari came face to face on the battlefield. The entire stadium waited with bated breath.

To my surprise, he smirked. "You watch, neither of them will get a scratch on each other."

"What do you mean-?" I began, before he was proved absolutely correct.

For at that moment, both Temari and Gaara raised their hands, brother and sister, the youngest and oldest of the former Kazekage's children.

"Huh?" Kotetsu grunted. There was a collective audible gasp at that moment as the audience took in the sight of the two ninja in identical submissive stances.

"We're withdrawing," they said simultaneously, Temari in her confident rich voice, Gaara in his deep husky one.

The entire audience fell silent, except for whispers of discontent.

"What?"

"No, we have to see who wins! I made a bet!"

"Are you sure you want to do this? A lot of people have come to see the outcome of these matches," Kotetsu warned them both. But Temari ignored the proctor, went to her brother and placed a hand on her hip.

"We don't fight each other. We're brother and sister. We're on the same side so… just call it a joint win," she said flippantly. She gestured to her little brother and together they left the battlefield to a mixture of rapturous applause and angry shouts.

"She's so cool!" I squealed.

"She's so troublesome," Shikamaru corrected, rolling his eyes and folding his arms as he got to his feet.

"It's kinda cool that they both gave up the winning spot for each other though, right sensei? Like you said before, it's sacrifice for teamwork!" Sakura said as we filed out onto the steps to walk up to the great steel balcony where hundreds of people, with different expressions on their faces ranging from exhilarated to downright pissed off, were milling out of the arena. Some were still sat in their seats, confused.

"Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum," Kakashi said, repeating the words he spoke to us so long ago. "I think it was a very noble choice, though I'm not sure the elders and feudal lords will see it as so, unless they see some sort of dramatic irony in it. They might see some sort of splendor in it."

I hoped so, since I had thought it magnificent. As we descended the stairs to go and meet up with them and the others who had been injured, Choji spoke for the first time in a while. "Hey, Asuma-sensei? Since it was such a good test, could you treat us all to some barbecue?"

Asuma's expression fell into one of chagrin as he pulled out a wallet that looked a little too empty to feed all of us. He shot the other senseis, Gai, Kurenai and Kakashi pleading looks and they all laughed.

Kakashi nodded to the other senseis, clearly trying to pass himself off as leader and therefore, head of communications. "Alright, we'll treat you to it."

We whooped and cheered as we walked down the stairs into the body of the arena.

"That was so cool! Everyone's fight was so dramatic!" Ino declared, still jittery with excitement as she wrapped an arm around Sakura and Hinata, who looked surprised to be so included.

"That Gaara's one cool customer," Tenten commented, coming to walk by me and Shikamaru, who was flanked by Choji.

"He's awesome," I said a little serenely as I remembered all of our private moments and flushed. _And he's mine…_ _Well, he might be. _

"I think Kankuro's pretty cool," Choji remarked, finishing off yet another bag of potato chips. "Giving up the match for his sister like that."

"It's only because he knows it's such a drag to fight her," Shikamaru groaned, his hands in his pockets as we passed through another steel gray claustrophobic tunnel to get to the participants' viewing area, the senseis in their own conversation. "Still, she's tough."

Just as we entered the participants' viewing area, we were stopped by Shoichi and his baby blue eyes. "Sorry, you guys can't be – oh, Shikamaru! Aimi! Hi!"

"Hey," we said in chorus, Shikamaru a little less cheery than I. I could see Gaara and Temari stood with Kankuro and Baki just past him with Neji and Kiba. Everyone immediately went over to join them except for Shikamaru and I, Gai-sensei asking, "Any word on Lee yet?"

"So, what're you two up to?" Shoichi asked, smiling a little too broadly for my liking.

Shikamaru didn't have the sense or intuition to lie for my sake and he said, "We're going for barbecue after this with everyone," just as I tried to slip past Shoichi who reached out and grabbed my forearm.

"That's so funny," he noted, looking at me even though Shikamaru was the one he was in conversation with. He gazed at me with an expression I felt uncomfortable under, as if he were trying to mesmerize me with his eyes. "My friend Yosuke and I were just on our way there. Maybe we'll see you there."

I pulled my arm out of his grasp gently and smiled _ever_ so sweetly at him, just as I felt a presence behind me.

"Ah, the shadow," Shoichi commented coolly as he looked over my shoulder. I followed his gaze to see Gaara with that same look as earlier in his jade eyes. I felt his hands splay out on either side of my waist and his fingers gripped me tightly as if he were trying to _possess _me, to let this boy know that I wasn't available.

His head came down to my neck, his nose caressing the shell of my ear as he whispered, "So I hear we're going out for something to eat?" He kissed my neck then, right in front of Shoichi, his big hands still clutching my body to him. I blushed at his proximity and nodded. The others were beginning to file out, Temari and Ino beckoning us as they passed and giving us mischievous looks as they saw our position. Baki even smiled encouragingly as he saw us and walked by with Kakashi, discussing the feudal lords.

"Come on then," Gaara murmured, taking my hand and following Kiba and Kankuro out of the viewing area, pulling me with him.

"'Might see you later, Aimi!" Shoichi called from behind. I did not turn back. I was quite happy to play along with Gaara's possessiveness for the while since it made me feel _so _wanted when he touched me like that in public. He _hated _public displays of affection, but when someone went for his girl, he immediately stepped in to stop it. I flushed as I walked by his side, clutching his warm, large hand, thinking about how sexy it was when he got jealous. I was beginning to learn how Gaara worked.

We walked in silence, submersing ourselves in the peace of hearing everyone else laughing and joking. The whole village seemed to be excited and the barbecue restaurant was extremely busy when we got there. However, with Kakashi at the helm, they gave us a huge table in the center of the room. Gaara sat on my left, Temari on my right.

"I feel like I'm surrounded by champions," I joked, pretending to swoon as Kankuro took his seat opposite me. The restaurant buzzed and people were happily chatting about the day's matches, pointing at our table where most of the competitors were seated and discussing who they thought might become chunin.

"I, for one, think you'll all become chunin and so, I'd like to propose a toast," I announced, commanding the attention of the table and raising my glass of water. "To my friends, I love you all, you're all incredible… but if any of you think that becoming chunin means you can boss people around, you're wrong. The jonin are still assholes."

And with that, everyone toasted and laughed, the senseis smiling wryly, Baki chuckling. He was sat next to Kakashi and I vaguely contemplated the fact that they were both my senseis of sorts, one from the Leaf, one from the Sand.

Just then, the food "finally" came to Choji's delight and Ino's displeasure and he dived in, along with Kiba and Kankuro, starting on the rice and laying out the short ribs on the grill in the middle of the table. Our table had separated into several different conversations; however, I partook in none of them. Neither did Gaara. I was just happy to soak in the atmosphere of sheer contentment, with Gaara at my side.

I felt myself missing our old Squad seven. We never came to the barbecue place; we always went to Ichiraku's so this was a first for us.

I just watched everyone, unaware of Gaara's eyes on me. I watched Sakura leaning around Shikamaru to talk to Temari, giggling about the look on Kotetsu's face when she withdrew. I watched Kiba and Kankuro nudge each other, chuckling and bonding. I watched Ino land a sharp slap on Choji's hand for stealing the last short rib and Tenten leaning over to Neji, her cheeks a little flushed as she and Hinata asked about his injuries. I watched Kurenai and Asuma leaning towards each other in deep conversation and Gai trying to convince Kakashi to eat something – possibly so he might remove his mask, Baki sat by asking what the big deal was about. This was my family, right here. I didn't need anyone else, just the people at this table and a certain knucklehead who was God knows where on this earth.

Just then, a hand waved in front of my face. "Hey!"

_Seriously? He's still trying? _I thought darkly as I turned to see Shoichi behind Temari, wearing that same flirtatious grin. He held the back of Temari's chair and I could see from the disgruntled expression on her way that he was irritating her.

_Gaara may not even get a chance to kick this guy's ass if he keeps clinging to Temari's chair, _I thought, watching as she turned to glare at the young man with the nice eyes.

"Well, you guys were excellent! It nearly topped last year's exams when _Shikamaru and Aimi _became chunin, right?" he said to everyone at the table. Everybody glanced at him, Choji whispering to Ino through a mouthful of beef, "Who's this guy?"

"I don't think it would be difficult to top that," I stated, playing along a little. In truth, I was sort of hoping Gaara would jump in with that possessive glare. I wanted his attention. "After all, last year was pretty much a disaster."

"Thanks to some people," Shoichi muttered darkly, looking at the Sand shinobi, in particular. The table fell silent upon his words and I saw Kakashi and Shikamaru shift in their seats, reading to step in at any moment. I could see Gaara giving him a nasty stare out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Shoichi, don't be like that to these guys! I love them all equally, so don't be mean," I reprimanded, trying to find a balance between being kind and friendly and sounding cold. It was a hard balance to find and I think I sounded a little too light-hearted once I'd spoken. Ino shot Asuma a panicked glance then, unable to dissipate the obvious tension.

"Some people must be easier to love than others," Shoichi said.

The room exploded.

Gaara, Kiba, Shikamaru and Kankuro all rose to their feet, their chairs scraping on the linoleum floor in their haste, Shikamaru and Kiba protecting their friends. Temari followed suit so quickly that she sent Shoichi flying across the room since he had been clutching at her chair. Kurenai, Baki and Asuma rose then to steady their students. Everyone in the restaurant fell silent as they watched proceedings, getting the lot of action they missed out on earlier due to the Sand Siblings refusal to fight one another.

"What did you say, you little punk?" Temari snarled, rounding on the young man, just as a stranger wearing a Leaf headband and the chunin vest went to Shoichi's aid, picking him up.

"You wanna say that again? I'll pulverize you!" Kankuro threatened, shaking his fist at Shoichi.

Then, as I turned to pull Gaara back to his seat and to ask him to calm down because this guy wasn't even worth it, I saw him stalk out of the restaurant faster than I'd ever seen him move before.

"Gaara!" I shouted, getting to my feet too and following him out of the restaurant onto the street. It was coming up to sunset and the sky was shifting from a cyan to a dull orange as I turned to see a person with striking red hair rounding the corner.

"Aimi!" Sakura called from inside the restaurant, where the only other sound was that of a slow love song they'd been playing overhead.

I ignored her and ran down the street after Gaara, jostling several people out of the way who were enjoying the evening festivities, the party in full swing. Relief and cheer flooded the streets in equal amounts, people so glad that this year's Chunin exams went off without a hitch – well, much of a hitch.

I tried to catch up with Gaara, but I couldn't tell where he was going until he was right outside.

In the distance, I saw him throw open the door to the apartment building and hurry upstairs, presumably letting himself into the apartment we shared with his brother and sister when they stayed here, the sky staining the building that washed out orange, the color of the sky just before a full blown sunset.

I hurried upstairs, throwing open the door to the apartment and finding him stood in the living room, the sunshine yellow walls and emerald sofa looking so very ugly next to him. His body was shaking, his gourd and white cloth strewn across the floor as if he'd just flung it there in his anger.

"Gaara?" I whispered, taking a shaky step toward him. "I'm here."

He turned to me then, watching me ever so closely with those jade eyes, contrasting with the light behind him so sharply. He was silent for a few moments before he said, his voice clear despite his shaking, "Aimi, do you love me?"

I suppressed the urge to take a sharp intake of breath. So what Shoichi had said to him, had he taken it literally?

My body felt saturated with humiliation as I stared at him, the sky streaking pink and orange through the window, embracing Gaara's body, illuminating him. _Should I tell him the truth or should I deny it? If I ever want to take back what I said, the time is now. I don't have to be vulnerable. I can save myself from all the pain when he tells me he doesn't love me back now. _

Was this the moment he'd chosen for us to have that talk?

"Yes. I love you," I whispered, looking at the ground to avoid seeing his face, feeling blood rush to my cheeks, giving away my humiliation, my hair shifting in front of my face to further curtain myself away from him.

_Please don't hurt me, Gaara, _I begged inwardly, bracing myself for him telling me he didn't feel the same and to just get over him. All this time, what had we been?

But he surprised me.

"Liar," he accused in a voice dripping with venom. My head shot up and I looked at him, confusion etched on my features.

"What?"

"I said you're lying," he repeated, the sun blazing into the room from behind him, making it hard to focus on him properly without being blinded. I had known Gaara through so many spectrums of virtue and vice but I had never heard him speak with as much malice as he did at that moment.

He came to stand in the shadow then and moved In front of the television. I saw then why he was shaking.

He was crying.

"Gaara, I-"

"When I was five years old, I went to Yashamaru with pain in my heart and a knife in my hand," he told me, keeping his voice so steady despite the tears pouring down his face. "I told him that I wasn't bleeding but it hurt," and then he placed a hand over his heart, "in here. I was so young and it hurt so much. Do you know what he did?"

I shook my head, waiting. This wasn't my time to talk. He needed this.

The tears streamed down his face, but still his voice gave away no sign that he was crying. His eyes held an unimaginable pain, a pain I'd never seen before… in anyone. It was infectious, a disease, because all of a sudden, just looking at Gaara, I could feel the despair, the depth of the anguish of that five year old, in my own heart.

"He took the knife from me and he cut his finger. I remember being shocked, so frightened for him that he'd truly hurt himself. But he said, 'Physical wounds will definitely bleed and may look painful but over time, they heal by themselves. And if you apply medicine, they will heal faster. What is troublesome are wounds of the heart. Nothing is harder to heal', he said. I didn't understand his words but I knew exactly what he meant somehow. He told me, 'Wounds of the heart are different from physical injuries.' He said I couldn't apply medicine myself and that sometimes they never healed."

"And I remember holding the spot where it hurt, praying it would go away, hoping that I could force it to heal with my will or maybe with my sand. But he said there was only one type of medicine for a wound of the heart. He said it was bothersome and I could only receive it from someone else. He told me… he told me it was," and for the first time, he sniffled, "love."

He sobbed and raised his arm to his eyes to stem the tears pouring down his glorious face. "I asked him how I got it. I needed it. That wound wouldn't go away and _God, _it hurt… _He told me I'd already received it! _He said – he said that my mother… that she loved me… immensely." He kept pausing to sob into his sleeve, as if by hiding his eyes, it didn't hurt him as much, that he didn't have to face it like it was real, like it had really happened. "He said that when my sand… when my sand acted instinctively to protect me that it was my mother and that her will had seeped into my sand, that she wanted to protect me."

And then he grunted, taking an almighty sniff and steeling himself, staring at me full on in the face as his lower lip trembled. I had never seen him look so vulnerable. "But then… _he tried to kill me! _And it _hurt, Aimi! It hurt so much! _WHY?! WHY?! HE SAID I WAS NEVER LOVED! HE SAID HE NEVER LOVED ME! HE SAID THAT _SHE _NEVER LOVED ME!"

I was frozen to my feet, unable to fully comprehend or process the pain in his sea foam eyes, so striking even with rivulets of pain flowing from them.

"SO HOW COULD YOU, JUST YOU, HOW COULD YOU LOVE ME IF MY OWN MOTHER, MY OWN FATHER, MY OWN UNCLE NEVER COULD? JUST YOU ON YOUR OWN, WHY WOULD AND HOW COULD YOU LOVE ME?!" He was screaming, his voice rasping as he screamed away the pain, clutching at his heart wound as if to stem the flow of the pain pouring out of it, staining him as it had his whole life.

I turned on my heel and headed for my room, crossing the patches of sunset on the floorboards.

"Wh-where are you going?!" he shouted and I heard a thud as he fell to his knees.

I went into my room and readied a song on the stereo that I'd found only a few days ago, as if it were fate.

I threw open the curtains even wider and allowed the soft pink, sunset orange and the indigo to tumble into the room, illuminating the bed while I heard Gaara sobbing in the living room.

I went back out to him and found him on his knees, clutching his head, shaking, crying and groaning. I leaned down and took his hand, tugging on it.

He looked up sharply, his face such a violent picture of beauty and horror as he looked at me, a broken masterpiece, a beautiful disaster.

"Come on, sweetie," I whispered and he got to his feet robotically and a little uncoordinatedly, probably from his blurring vision.

I tugged on his hand again and he rasped, "What are you doing?"

"I'm administering you medicine," I told him, pulling him down the hall with me. He stumbled blindly down the hall and we entered my room, shadows and sunset. I let go of his hand briefly to go and flick on the stereo and he stood in the middle of the room robotically, unable to stop his flow of tears, the emotion in him having built up for the past God knows how many years, the pain so many had burdened him with for reasons I didn't understand.

But I knew this – that I loved him. And that if he needed medicine, if he needed love, I would give it to him. I would heal his heart wound without medical ninjutsu, just with the magnificent love I held in my heart for this boy before me, this broken beautiful boy.

I flicked on a song, the soft strumming of a guitar and the haunting sounds of violins gracing our ears as I went to him and cupped his face, wiping away the debris of tears left on his stunning face, his green eyes dazzling in the sunset as he bit his lip in an effort not to sob.

"_Give me love like her," _the stereo murmured as I leaned in and captured his lips with a feather light kiss and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, stroking the skin at the nape of his neck as he held still, tears still spilling from his eyes. "_'Cause lately I've been waking up alone."_

"_Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt_," it whispered as I pulled him closer to me and he rested his head on my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me tightly, but so differently from how he had earlier in the arena. This wasn't jealousy, this was his need to feel someone real, to leave a mark as he clutched so tightly, I knew it'd bruise. But it didn't matter to me. This was a healing, he needed to let go of and let out all the anguish he'd been feeling since he was born of the very woman he was told despised him. "_Told you I would let them go."_

He angled his head, mane of blood red and all towards me then and captured my face with one hand, holding my chin in as strong a grip as my waist. I closed my eyes and he kissed my lips softly, so different from how he was holding me. Just at the song murmured, "_And that I'll fight my corner, maybe tonight I'll call you," _he moved his hand from my chin to my hair, squeezing and tugging in time with the words and the beat. The evening sun burned my eyelids, staining the darkness behind my eyes the orange of the sky. _"After my blood turns into alcohol."_

"_No, I just wanna hold you." _And he held me.

"_Give a little time to me," _the song lilted as his hand went from my waist to my throat where he proficiently caught the zip and pulled it down the middle of my torso, to where its track stopped at my navel, all the time still capturing my lips in a kiss. "_Or burn this out, we'll play hide and seek, to turn this around."_

And then both of his hands were at the back of my head, pulling me closer to him, "_All I want is the taste that your lips allow." _He slid his tongue across my bottom lip like always, but much rougher than usual, as if he had no time for niceties. "_My, my, my, my, oh give me love."_

I opened my mouth and allowed him access and he slowly slipped his tongue inside my mouth. I offered no resistance, knowing he needed this sweet, sweet kiss, as the song's orchestra fell away, leaving vocals and a soft plucking of the guitar. "_My, my, my, my, oh give me love. My, my, my, my, oh give me love. My, my, my, my, give me love. My, my, my, my, give me love."_

He released me then and stared into my eyes, his tears having subsided as he held my gaze, sea foam on hazel, sand and fire. My hands came up to his collar brazenly and I unfastened his top button, taking my time. "_Give me love like never before."_ I peeled back his overalls down to his waist, never once breaking eye contact from the radiant chaos in those weeping eyes. I hooked my fingers under his mesh undershirt then, something that even to me seemed so insignificant in this moment as I drank in the vision of his face. "_'Cause lately I've been craving more."_

I paused, seeking permission from him in his eyes and, since I met no resistance, I lifted it up over his head and pulled it off him, tossing it across the room in some forgotten, desolate corner. The musician crooned, "_And it's been a while but I still feel the same," _just as I placed my hands on his bare shoulders, now bathed in the light of sunset, the light glinting off the gold chain I'd given him for his birthday. I reveled in his strength, his power, all the time keeping my eyes on his face. _"Maybe I should let you go."_

And then, his hands came up to my catsuit and he shed it from my torso, down to my hips, leaving a trail of heat in the wake of his fingers. "_You know I'll fight my corner," _and he knelt down, pushing the remainder of his overalls with him and kicking off his shoes. _"And that tonight I'll call you," _and I followed suit, the sky immersing us in its parting gift, the sunset. We stood up and watched each other carefully, now both in our underwear. I'd seen him without his clothes on before, but this time was the first time I felt like I was truly seeing him naked as we stood opposite one another, appraising each other, just savoring the moment. "_After my blood is drowning in alcohol."_

I reached out and took his hands, all calloused fingers and short nails. I pushed him as I stepped forward, causing him to step backward so his legs were at the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arms around me, stroking the skin at the small of my back as a single tear fell from his eyes. "_No, I just wanna hold you."_

And as the music quieted for a moment, I pushed him onto the bed so he fell on his back on the bed, his face only revealing his shock for a fraction of a second. _"Give a little time to me," _the song requested as I clambered onto his body, straddling him and leaned down to kiss him forcefully, my hair acting as a veil, protecting us from the pains of this world, "_or burn this out," _and I felt him reach out his hands to hold my hips and he rolled us over so he was on top and kissed me with all the passion there was in this world as time stopped for us.

"_We'll play hide and seek," _and he ran his hands up my sides as I grasped at his hair, so alive, so vivacious. I wrapped my legs around his body in a vicelike grip and pulled him closer, so there was nothing between us except my panties and his boxers. I could feel him, hard against me. But it was so different this time, like we were feeding each _other's _life force, giving each other love. "_To turn this around."_

_This is what sex is really about, _I thought vaguely as his lips went from mine to trail down to my neck, where he nuzzled in closely. I felt moisture on my neck and I knew he was crying again as he kissed a spot that made me moan his name, "_All I want is the taste that your lips allow_," and I pushed him away, to his confusion and rolled him over again so I was on top of him, "_My, my, my, my, give me love." _

I lowered myself to him so I was inches from his face and held both of my hands over his heart, as if I were to heal him. "_Give a little time to me, or burn this out." _His hands came up to hold my hips as tightly as he had before, gripping so hard, I knew he'd leave marks. But I wanted that, I wanted him to leave his mark on me, "_We'll play hide and seek to turn this around." _I leaned down then and kissed him again, relishing in the taste that his lips allowed. _"All I want is the taste that your lips allow." _I pulled away then, wanting to memorize his face forever. "_My, my, my, my." _

He mouthed the next line, keeping his eyes on me the whole time, a tear drifting down his cheek. "_Give me love." _

Just then, he fiddled under him at the sheets and ripped them from under him as the song murmured, "_My, my, my, my, oh give me love. My, my, my, my, oh give me love."_

"What're you-?" I began, just as he threw it over me and pulled me down next to him, turning on his side to wrap his arms around me, his scent of amber and musk enveloping me as we intertwined under the sheets, our legs and arms tangling up together. "_My, my, my, my, give me love. My, my, my, my, give me love." _

He buried his hands in my hair then, pulling me ever closer to his strong leonine body as the song became more frenzied, the musician begging an unidentifiable woman to love him. We just kissed, passionately at first and then as the song ran its course, we grew softer and softer, until we were barely moving our lips; they were just whispering together as the sun finally disappeared under the horizon, leaving behind violet and blue. I felt myself growing tired and feeling so safe that my heart longed for nothing for than this moment for the rest of forever.

The last thing I remembered was his husky voice whispering, "You are my salvation."

He had stopped crying.

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter took me a long time to write and get right so please, just spare a minute to tell me if I did it right. I know it takes a while but please just tell me if I did it right and I can write less or more scenes like this. Thank you.**


	27. Chapter 27

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive._

_Now I only waste it dreaming of you._

_- **Fall Out Boy, Of All The Gin Joints In All The World**_

* * *

In my mind, I felt myself floating from the depths of a dream up to the rolling waves of consciousness. I knew it was morning; the light behind my eyes was soft on my lids. I was warm, much warmer than usual in fact. I opened my eyes and met a pair of familiar sea foam ones, rimmed with thick black markings.

I squealed, forgetting for a moment about last night, and then suddenly stopping as I remembered that Gaara's brother and sister would be home by now.

"You're still here?" I whispered, moving ever closer to him so that our noses were touching.

"It would seem that way," he murmured, a hint of humor in his eyes.

One of his arms was slung over my body, the other folded under his head which was resting on his hand. My palms pressed up against his bare chest and our legs were intertwined. We were both still in our underwear.

I nestled into him and he wrapped his arm around me tighter, one big hand pressed up against the small of my back. I sighed in contentment, the feel of his warm skin bathed in the daylight.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, the humor in his eyes still apparent. He had never looked so cheerful, all bright eyes and bed hair.

"Yeah. I didn't have one single nightmare," I told him chirpily, beaming at my own words. It had been so long since I'd slept soundly. "Have you been up all night just lying here?"

He nodded, his hand on my back coming up to my ear and tucking a strand of hair behind it. I had never known him to be so loving and my heart sang.

I grinned again, knowing he must've held me all night, just being with me as I slept. Butterflies expanded in my stomach.

_All night._

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Hey, what time did Kankuro and Temari get home? Do they know you're in here?" I whispered then, hoping they couldn't hear, panicking that they'd know we were in the same bed together.

"They came in at around eleven. Temari wanted to talk to you, I think, so she came in, saw us like this and walked straight out, not saying anything," he explained, watching his fingers trace down my side, swirling a pattern on my ribs and waist.

"Shit!" I hissed as another thought came to my mind. Had I walked into the room and saw what she had seen, what would I have thought? "She must've thought we had sex!"

He raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a small smirk.

"But we didn't!" I continued frantically, hiding my head in his chest. "Oh hell, she's gonna kill me! And Kankuro'll never let us live this down!"

He chuckled, a light beautiful sound and murmured, "Aimi, I have something I need to apologize for."

"You do?" I asked, bemused, reveling in this moment, being in his arms. I wondered vaguely if this moment was one of the best I'd experienced in my whole life. "What is it?"

"Last night, I... I yelled at you when I got angry and upset... and I'm sorry."

_Gaara saying sorry?_

"It's just... that guy saying I couldn't be loved. It brought things back. And you're the first thing that's ever truly been mine. I couldn't ask for anything more. Every time I've thought I had something, it's been taken away from me. And now I have you and I get..." he winced as he said it, "possessive because I'm so scared you could just be taken too. I tried to put my defenses up to you so I wouldn't believe you when you said you loved me. But I _want _to believe you and after what you gave me last night... I do believe you."

"I've never had my own... person... someone who cares about me more-" He kept pausing, as if it was hard to accept how he was feeling, hard to face up to the truth. "And I can't lose you. I guess it's the _demon _inside me too... maybe I'll never fully escape the evil. But I can't bear to think about you leaving... It makes me want to hold you to me so you _can't_ leave. Anyone I've ever loved has left. I was alone, so alone. And now you're here. I can't handle it if you leave too. I can't."

There was a long silence as he squeezed his eyes shut, his lower lip trembling in frustration. _Was he angry at himself?  
_  
I leaned up to his forehead and swept his blood red fringe away to where the kanji was illustrated on his creamy skin. I pressed my lips against it softly and watched him open his eyes again, so full of wonder.

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised, tracing his tattoo with my fingers. "I understand that you're going to be a little possessive and that you're sensitive about things. You've been through so much. I knew that when we started this, I knew you wouldn't just be calm and laid-back like this wasn't a big deal. And it's not that out of character. Most boys are a little possessive with their girlfriends. When I see girls flirt with you, I-"

"Wait," he interrupted. "What girls?"

I blushed furiously, realizing I'd said too much and tucked my head under his chin, getting closer to him so the darkness would shield me from the humiliation. "Matsuri," I murmured. "And that Sari girl. I_ hate _it when they look at you, look at you like you're available."

"What're you talking about?" he asked, his tone mocking but he wrapped both arms around me tightly, reassuring me. "I only look at you. I only_ see_... _you_."

"They look at you though. They see you and they like you, I can tell. And sometimes I wanna jump in there when they come round like, 'Gaara-sensei! Gaara-sensei!'" I imitated Matsuri's giddy high-pitched voice with exaggeration, my face still buried in Gaara's chest. He chuckled as I continued, "I get possessive too."

I pulled away from his chest then to look him straight in the eye so he could see the truth in my words. "I love you."

He held my gaze. "I-"

And then there was a knock at the door, short and impatient. "Will you two get up already?! I made breakfast!"

Temari did not sound pleased. She sighed heavily as she walked back to the kitchen.

"We have to do the walk of shame," I whispered coyly to Gaara, twisting my hands in his hair and kissing his kanji again. He got out of bed swiftly and dressed himself. I followed suit, dressing lazily in a pair of leggings and an old T-shirt.

Gaara squeezed my hand and led the way down the hall to the kitchen.

Temari and Kankuro sat at the table where four places were set out, a plate of steamed rice with tamagoyaki and a bowl of miso soup for each place setting.

The air was quiet and tense, the eye of the storm before the fiercest winds. Nobody spoke as Gaara and I took adjacent places opposite from Temari and Kankuro.

We began to eat in silence. Had I not been terrified that she'd be furious with me for supposedly sleeping with her baby brother, I could've told Temari it was delicious.

Finally, the uneasy standoff of sorts was broken and, unsurprisingly, by Kankuro. "So, am I going to be an uncle?" he asked innocently.

"Kankuro!" Temari shrieked, her teal eyes wide and scathing.

I felt my heart stop at his words but I kept my composed mask and murmured, "We didn't do anything," as I spooned some soup into my mouth. Gaara remained stoic as he ate his rice thoughtfully as if Kankuro hadn't said a word.

Kankuro shot us both a sly grin and said, "Yeah, right! Temari told me you weren't wearing many clothes. Are you telling me you were just in there huddling together for warmth? Please, I know you were in there having sex on the beach."

"We didn't have sex," I said simply, catching his reference to Gaara's sand.

_Feel free to chip in anytime, Gaara,_ I thought sardonically.

"Whatever, I know Gaara was in there burying himself in _your_ sand."

"Kankuro, shut up," Gaara hissed, glaring at his older brother. "Don't talk to her like that."

I reached my hand out across the table for Temari's and caught her wrist. "Temari, I swear to you we didn't sleep together."

To my surprise, she smiled, although it seemed a little forced, and replied, "It's none of our business anyway, right Kankuro?"

Kankuro grinned and shrugged. "Anyway, after you two disappeared, Kakashi and Baki-sensei were talking about you both."

"Us?" I asked, putting down my chopsticks and giving Kankuro my full attention. "What were they saying?"

"Oh, just a way to create a training regime that brings you and Gaara so close that you can create a combo attack of such devastating force that together you're unbeatable," he remarked flippantly, waving his chopsticks about. "But you know, you seem close enough to me." And with that, he winked at us.

Gaara gave him another withering look and Kankuro quieted.

"Shall we go find them after breakfast?" I inquired, looking to Gaara. He nodded. His eyes no longer held the reverence and passion in them that he saved just for us when we were alone, but the ghost of affection and that was enough for me. I liked that I knew a side of him no one else did.

We both showered - separately, as Kankuro made sure to confirm - and changed into new clothes before checking next door to see if Baki was home. He wasn't to my displeasure, so we made our way onto the streets. People glanced our way, commenting behind their hands about the last of the Uchiha and the Sand's Ultimate Weapon. Some things would never change.

"Where will they be?" Gaara asked, speaking for the first time since we left.

"We may as well check the jonin standby station. I wouldn't put it past them to be sat in there, drinking tea," I commented, as his fingers brushed against the back of my hand. "I didn't think you were the hand holding type, Gaara. Not in broad daylight anyway."

"I'm not," he responded as we neared the station. We entered and went to the front desk.

"Are Kakashi-sensei and Baki here?" I asked, leaning over the desk at the attendant. "Can we see them?"

He gave me a dissatisfied glance. "Sorry, jonin only. I'll tell them you came later on."

"You can tell us now," a voice said from behind us. I turned to see my sensei stood next to Gaara's and with another familiar jonin, adorned in bandages like rose thorns and a red armor blouse.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei," I greeted warmly, beaming at her.

"Hey, sweetie," she replied, placing a hand on her hip and smiling right back.

Kakashi rolled his eyes, disgruntled that I hadn't greeted him first. "Hi to you too, Aimi."

"Did Kankuro tell you about our idea?" Baki asked, his gaze on Gaara by my side. We shook our heads simultaneously.

"Come with us, you two," Kakashi instructed, turning back to the lounge from where he had come and nodding to the attendant to let him know we had Kakashi's permission to go with them.

We followed behind him silently and entered a huge circular room, light gushing in through the multiple windows onto long red sofas that surrounded a single pillar with plants growing in abundance around it.

Kakashi, Baki and Kurenai all went to sit on one sofa and gestured for Gaara and I to sit opposite them, adjacent to one another. We did so and waited.

"It is apparent to us that both of you are formidable fighters with backgrounds that mean you are valuable to the enemy dead or alive," Kakashi explained. "Since you're... as close as you are and you fight in quite a similar way, the Sand and the Leaf have decided to take advantage of this jointly."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting forward and resting my elbows on my knees.

"Just listen. Baki here was telling me about the aptitude both of you have for dance. And you, Aimi, have the sharingan and the ability to interpret an opponent's actions before they themselves even move. We think you two could be an incredible duo and utilize your abilities in a better way if you could signal to each other and truly learn each other's move inside out. Kurenai-sensei, myself and Baki will oversee this training. You will be learning through the art of dance. After all, a battle is a dance."

He continued to explain. Gaara and I were to fully learn each other's movements, habits and patterns through dance and eventually create a signaling system. Kurenai-sensei was particularly skilled in dance. He led us to a room off the lounge, a practice room, each inch of the wall covered in mirror, reflecting my stunned expression and Gaara's stoic gaze.

We were to dance to music chosen by Kurenai-sensei and Gaara was to devise a routine on the spot. All I had to do was analyze his moves and copy or follow them in order to dance with him. Eventually, once we were truly in tune with one another, I would be the one to devise routines and Gaara would follow my lead.

"So, this is gonna be hard as hell basically?" I asked, sitting on the floorboards cross legged and sighing.

"You'll reap the rewards. Once you can signal to each other and read other's moves, your spontaneous battle formations will be unsurpassable. You'll be able to work in total sync," Baki pointed out. "This is training only you two can do due to your sharingan, Aimi and the bond you two share."

I nodded grudgingly and got to my feet. "When do we start?"

* * *

It had been three weeks since we'd begun training and in that time, we'd journeyed back to the Sand village without Kurenai or Kakashi and so we were to continue our training alone the majority of the time with Baki checking on us at designated intervals.

Gaara had taken to this training fervently, the first thing he'd truly found a challenge when it came to battle. We had been up since six in the morning training in the practice studio here in the Sand.

"I- I can't do anymore," I panted, falling to the floor and sprawling out onto my back. "You're - killing - me."

Gaara folded his arms. He'd adorned a royal blue T-shirt along with black trousers for our training sessions and I wore a red tank top with a pair of black running shorts as I splayed out on the floor, my sharingan still activated.

"We've been training for _hours_. How can you stand there like it's nothing?" I asked, glaring at him in frustration.

"Because I know what's coming," he replied, glaring right back. I could see in the mirrors that my face was flushed, hair plastered to my face due to the sweat. I did not look at my most attractive.

"Yeah, and you're not using a dojutsu or trying to figure out what I'm doing. It's easy for you, you're just dancing," I complained, wiping my brow with the back of my hand. "Can we please take a little break?"

He was shaking his head just as the door to the studio swung open, revealing Temari and Kankuro, looking not even a percentage as flustered as I did.

"Hey, you two. We've been summoned to the council room urgently," Temari told us, looking on edge.

"Okay," I groaned, getting to my feet. "Just let me get a quick shower, I'm beat."

Temari came toward me and dragged me to the door. "No time, Aimi. They said immediately."

"Ugh, what the hell. Do you realize how gross this is? This is sickening!" I cried as she dragged me through the streets of the Sand, Gaara and Kankuro trailing behind us. "Temari, don't drag me into this, people'll think I'm sweaty and that I chose not to shower! This is your decision."

"You're just going to have to deal with it. Besides, you don't smell, you just look like a total mess," she divulged, smirking at the look on my face. "I'm sure the council and the elders will be pleased to see you."

"I'll kick your ass, Temari," I growled at her as the Kazekage building came into view.

She sighed breezily. "Yeah yeah, if I've heard it once."

We entered the building hurriedly, Temari leading the way and made our way straight to the council room where all of the councilors sat around a huge round table, the structures of the previous four Kage looming over the room. The next Kazekage _still_ hadn't been decided and the hierarchy was getting a little tense; it was evident in the air.

Everyone turned to look at us as we walked in, Baki-sensei sat among them without the robes on and nodded to us as we entered. Everyone seemed to be angled towards one particular man who seemed to be sat in the largest chair.

"Hello, you four. Thank you for coming so quickly," that very man remarked, standing up and nodding to where the four of us stood by the great entrance to the room.

"No problem," Temari said dismissively as I seethed by her side. Several of the councilors were giving me baffled looks as they took in my appearance, including Baki. Gaara didn't even look like he'd broken a sweat.

"We have some news from the Chunin Selection Committee. Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, it has been decided that you will all be promoted to chunin," he declared, watching as Temari yelped with excitement and Kankuro punched the air. Gaara was totally apathetic, merely nodding.

"Who else made it to chunin level?" I queried, out of pure curiosity.

Another advisor lifted up a clipboard and read out the contents emotionlessly. "Shino Aburame, Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga have all been promoted to chunin, also."

"Yes!" I shouted before receiving a very contemptuous glare from Temari, shutting me right up. "I mean, that is awfully good news."

"Hmm," the man stood up mused as he surveyed us. "Shou, why have these three and the Uchiha girl been summoned?"

_What the hell? _I thought indignantly. _He called us in and he doesn't even know what for? Snob. _

"You requested that these four come to discuss the matter of chunin promotion and Gaara and Aimi's training, Lord Juro."

"Yes, that's it. So, Gaara, Miss Uchiha, we're interested to know how your training's going. We're looking forward to seeing the results of your joint efforts," he stated calmly.

_Is he dumb? Can't he see that we're training our butts off?_

"It's going well. This meeting disrupted our training," Gaara imparted, speaking for the first time.

"Good," the man named Juro stated.

"You are practically becoming a member of the Sand Siblings, Aimi," Baki mentioned from his position at the table, good-naturedly. "You really should just become a citizen of the Sand."

I beamed at him, letting my pride at his words spill into my eyes as I said, "I couldn't do that, Baki-sensei. I'm an Uchiha and a Leaf shinobi through and through."

Juro taking me aback, sneering furiously, "We wouldn't have someone so volatile, emotionally charged and with such _precarious _blood become a Sand citizen anyway." Gaara stepped in front of me, almost automatically and Juro scoffed, "And you two now… It could almost be seen as _dangerous…_ That's why we're utilizing you."

There was silence at that point. "Is that all?" Gaara asked testily, ignoring the council elder's jibes. When Juro nodded, Gaara took my hand and led me straight out of the building and back to the studio wordlessly, leaving his brother and sister behind. As we walked back into the studio, Gaara snarled and slumped onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting by him and trying to catch his eye.

"I'm so sick of being an outcast. I'm so sick of the way they see me, the way they all see me," he explained, his tone bitter. "I never told you about this but recently, I've been thinking. I want to become the Kazekage."

"The Kazekage? You want to become the Kazekage? Like your father?" I inquired inquisitively.

"Yes. I want the village to look to me, to respect me. I want to protect them because I want to become something precious to others. I'm not the same person as I was before. I want to prove that to them and to have them look upon me as though I matter, as though I'm wanted."

"Gaara," I whispered. "You know by me, you're not wanted as Kazekage, the Fourth's son or even the ultimate weapon. You're wanted by me as Gaara, just Gaara."

And then he kissed me on that cold floor, surrounded my mirror images of this beautiful, glorious thing we shared together.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know it's an uneventful chapter but I might post tomorrow to make up for it.**

**Also, I noticed not many of you liked last chapter's songs. So what songs **_**do **_**you like that would be appropriate for Gaara and Aimi that I could use?**

**Also, I need to ask you guys something as you're important to me as readers. Obviously, there'll be a lemon coming up soon and I'm hoping to do it just after Gaara becomes Kazekage. Clearly, they're pretty young but I'm just asking, is that okay? Does anyone feel weird about it or is everyone okay with there being a lemon?**

**I figure at their age and with Gaara being quite high up that they **_**would **_**have sex but do you agree or do you think maybe I should leave it for a while?**

**Please tell me if you're okay with it or not, I don't want to gross any of you out.**

**So yeah, are you okay with the sex and what songs would you like to see between Gaara and Aimi?**


	28. Chapter 28

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. I nearly used Zero to Hero from Hercules in the song insert bit for this chapter. I know, I'm electric._**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. _

* * *

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love._

_Makes me wanna turn around and face me, but I don't know nothing 'bout love._

**_- Counting Crows, Accidentally In Love_**

* * *

**Temari's POV**

I headed for the studio where my little brother and my best friend were training, carrying two bento boxes I'd prepared earlier. I'd just finished drafting plans for teaching fuinjutsu as part of the curriculum at the academy and had decided to take it to Gaara as soon as possible. Being the sister of the head of the committee for education in the Sand village certainly had its perks when it came to deadlines and presentations. He really had built himself up this past month, working hard at the academy and being promoted to the committee, being given a position on the jonin council when he was barely a chunin and finding any spare moment he had left after that to train with Aimi.

Of course, Gaara didn't even slumber at night so Aimi complained that she was losing sleep over Gaara's late night training sessions. He was working her even harder since she was due to return to the Leaf for a review in a few days. This would be the first time I'd seen them in training for a couple of weeks. They were usually very secretive about the progress they'd made so this was another excuse to watch them. Kankuro hadn't seen them in training for even longer than me so he'd made me promise to tell him how they were getting on.

I entered the reception to the sound of a song that sounded so dark, so laced with sex, it was almost criminal.

"_**I've got more wit, a better kiss, hotter touch, a better fuck.**__"_

_Those two, _I thought wryly. Of course, I believed Aimi when she said they hadn't had sex. But the way he looked at her sometimes when she was paying attention to something else, it was so sensual that I felt like I was intruding on a private moment. And that felt even weirder because he was my little brother and I'd never seen him look even half as alive as he did when he was with Aimi, except for when he was in the midst of murder so long ago.

I entered the room, the music blasting out of the stereo, "_**Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat**_**," **and my eyes first fell on the _huge _lion I knew to be Aimi's primary summon, Shiga sprawled on the floor next to a _tiger. _They weren't watching me; their feline eyes were on the two people in the center of the room.

"_**You know it was always just be me."**_

As the chorus kicked in, I saw my little brother raise the intertwined hands of he and his girl and he span her around so quickly she became an indistinct little tornado. "_**Will you dance to this beat and hold a lover close?**_" Then, he reached into the distorted whirlwind and found her hands, stepping backward and forward, with her following completely in time and dipping her lithe little body so quickly I almost missed it. I watched as he raised her into a jeté lift and brought her back down to earth, their bodies flowing, undulating with one another as they danced.

Suddenly, Gaara's eyes met mine and I noticed him jerk his fist. _A signal?_ It must have been because Aimi and he immediately stopped and Gaara went over to the stereo, snapping it off.

"What're you doing here?" he asked irritably, folding his arms as Aimi went to sit by the lion and the tiger that had been watching proceedings. "Can't you see we're in the middle of practice?"

"That's no way to talk to your big sister, Gaara," I teased, grinning at the sight of them. Aimi's sharingan was activated and her eyes had strange markings around them, sharp black stripes atop a splash of white and a dash of orange around her red orbs, true feline markings. She must have been in Sage Mode. "You two seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for Mister Mix-It-Up here. He keeps switching from a salsa to a rhumba and then throwing in some really tough ballroom lifts that require core muscles I didn't even realize I had. Man, I can't keep up," Aimi groaned, shaking her great mane of dark hair as she leaned on Shiga. "By the way, this is Kisaki," she told me, pointing to the tiger next to her whose great head rested on the floorboards of the studio. The big cat radiated boredom.

"Aimi, it's not about being pedantic, it's about you copying what I'm doing. We're not doing this to become great dancers, we're doing it to become great tacticians and strategists with one another," he explained, rolling his eyes. I noticed then how worn out he looked. Aimi looked stunning and haunting, the markings around her eyes only enhancing her features. It was strange how well she suited her Sagedom, as if it was created just for her. Gaara's brow was sweaty and he swept his forelocks back so that his kanji was even more visible. He swigged a bottle of water, his eyes on Aimi as she nestled into Shiga's fur. Shiga nuzzled his majestic head into her shoulder, dwarfing her. He angled himself toward her as a lioness huddles into its cub. It was really rather cute.

"Hold on, copying each other? Didn't you just lift her up now? And you were spinning her Ferris wheel back there. How is that copying each other?" I asked, bemused. "By the way, I brought you guys these bento boxes for lunch. I figured you wouldn't have thought about lunch."

"Aww, thank you!" Aimi exclaimed appreciatively, leaping forward with all the movements of a cat and taking it from me. Whenever she was in Sage Mode, she'd slink about so much, she may as well have a tail. I hadn't thought about how useful it must've been for training. She sat back down in between her summons and said, "Well, once I'd realized I could just use Sage Mode for this training, it got really easy. So we devised a signaling system like we were supposed to. Gaara still creates the routines, but if we want to do like a jeté lift for example, he taps my hand with his left index finger twice."

She grinned at my little brother then who skulked in the corner, swigging his water like it was going out of fashion.

"Only, because I use Sage Mode now, I tire Gaara out faster and he's the one who ends up on his butt," she explained gleefully. "It's awesome."

"That's great, you guys, but aren't you supposed to do this for battle?" I inquired hesitantly.

She got to her feet then. "Yeah, a jerk of the right hand little finger is," and she jumped into the air, leg extended and landed not a foot from Gaara and said, "flying roundhouse kick."

He took another silent swig of his water, unable to suppress the smirk at her demonstration nevertheless and I smiled serenely, the affection between them so lovely after seeing Gaara so broken, my heart felt it could fly.

"So now," Aimi elucidated, turning to me, "When we're in battle, we can execute moves in synchronization or to cover each other's backs. And Gaara can use his sand as a diversion spontaneously and I'll know exactly what position to cover him in and creep in with a counter attack of taijutsu. It's perfect!"

"Aimi, careful you don't get overconfident now," the splendid tiger warned from its position on the floor.

"I'm not, I just know that we're the greatest combo attack anyone has ever seen. We can practically read each other's minds now. Gaara can do it back now that we have a signaling system. He doesn't have to lead anymore when we dance, it's just better when he does," Aimi explained. "We were just fooling around a little earlier."

"You guys are good. You came up with that routine all by yourself, Gaara?" I asked my little brother in a shocked tone that I was unable to hide. Since I'd seen them dance so long ago when Aimi had come to the Sand to work on the treaty, Gaara and Aimi's aptitude for it seemed to have improved a thousand fold. Watching them was like observing moving art, it was incredible. The connection between them was evident, not only technically but spiritually.

_If they could translate this into battle_, I thought, _Kankuro and I would be the safest people in the world if we went with them._

"Yeah," Gaara answered. He turned to Aimi then. "Wanna go again?"

"Wait. I brought you my presentation!" I announced, handing the file I'd been carrying to Gaara. "I devised a selection of modules for fuinjutsu with extensive detail. I created a list of shinobi who are both skilled in teaching and in sealing techniques and laid out a final exam. Will this be enough?"

Gaara skimmed through the file, his eyes glancing over the pages. "This looks fine. Thank you, Temari. I'll take it to the committee and the jonin council and I'll handle it from here."

I nodded and placed a hand on my hip, smirking. "Admit it, I did good, didn't I?"

"Very good," he acknowledged. "Come on, Aimi. We need to head back so I can look over this and a report on the border patrols from the Land of Earth. There's been a bit of trouble on the border for a while."

He led the way onto the streets, Aimi releasing the summon on her cats and scuttling after us as she also released Sage Mode. We had been walking not two minutes when a middle aged woman with a kind face approached us.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but you're Gaara of the Desert, right?" the woman asked, looking specifically at my brother with a sweet smile.

"Yes," he replied.

"My son, Hideyoshi attends the ninja academy and he just thinks you're excellent. Thanks to you, he's finally improved with his aim with his kunai and he's stopped smashing the windows and started actually hitting his targets. He says it's all down to you and he wants to be 'just like Gaara' when he grows up. He's really come out of his shell and it's all thanks to you. You're on the committee and you still have time to influence the kids like that? I just think it's really great." Her smile was stunning as she looked at my little brother with total and utter appreciation.

"It was no problem. Hideyoshi's going to be an incredible shinobi," Gaara stated.

"I should think so since his mentor is already an excellent shinobi himself," she complimented, beaming at Gaara and walking off, leaving us to think on her words. Gaara smiled discreetly as we walked on and I did not escape my notice that he squeezed Aimi's hand quickly. Another signal? Or just a sign of love? It almost unnerved me how close they'd become in such a short amount of time.

At that moment, we were stopped by a rowdy couple of jonin in vests and bandages wrapped around their head. "Hey, Gaara!"

We stopped, Aimi turning to me and whispering, "Who're _these _guys?"

"Gaara," they said, smiling at the red-haired boy. "Did you submit our request for those vending machines in the jonin lounge yet? We know you're busy with training with the lovely Aimi," and with that they nodded at Aimi who blushed and smiled a little, "But we were just hoping since you're on the council-"

"I've already organized it with the council and they're installing them as we speak," he assured them, nodding to them in greeting.

"Really? Gaara, you've been so great for us since you got on the council. My baby brother says you're doing great things at the academy too. You're a great ninja and your bloodline leads straight to the Fourth. You know, with the Kazekage being decided in the few months or so, you certainly have our support! We've already talked to Shou about it, you know." And with that the jonin shot Gaara a thumbs up.

"Seriously? You've recommended him for Kazekage?" I inquired excitedly, nudging my brother.

"Well yeah, but we're just a couple of jonin remember. But yeah, we recommended him."

Gaara thanked them and we walked on. A couple more people stopped us to thank Gaara, one for his prowess on a mission he'd been on last week and the other asking about his report on border controls and asking for advice. He was slowly becoming an integral part of the community and the look of joy I saw in Aimi's face at his triumph mirrored my own. We were truly happy for him that he was finally gaining the respect of the villagers. People greeted us as we walked down the main street back to the apartment rather than giving us the wary looks and icy glares I would've been accustomed to a couple of years ago.

Everyone saw Gaara as an asset to the village now, not a terrifying weapon that had become too difficult to control. It was apparent that he was totally in control of himself and his desire to work for the people was apparent. We returned to the apartment, Aimi making poor jokes about her travels to the Leaf Village in a few days, complaining about poor hospitality along the way. Kankuro was already home, watching some weekend reality talent show.

"Hey, guys! Come watch these impersonations, it's so good! This chick's doing our old man!" he called. He had a bowl on potato chips on the arm of the couch and his feet up on the coffee table. "She even got some stuff that looks like Gold Dust. It's genius!"

"Kankuro! Feet _off _the coffee table right now!" I scalded, smacking the back of his head sharply. He grudgingly did as I asked and Aimi and Gaara went to sit on the other sofa, Aimi immediately cuddling into his side as he wrapped an arm around her. It was such a refreshing sight to see his face light up when she let out that tinkling laugh. I could see why he was so enthralled by her. She held all the juxtaposition of ferocity and innocence, a calloused sense of duty and yet a soft sensitivity. She _felt _things. That was why Gaara had said she was so good at dancing because she could feel the music in her veins. They knew each other so well.

"So did you guys have a good day?" Kankuro inquired after an old lady had come on stage to show off her shurikenjutsu and failed miserably, becoming the laughing stock of the show.

"It was amazing!" Aimi exclaimed, looking up at Gaara again with eyes full of adoration. "It was just perfect since I'm going away in a few days. I'll miss days like this."

The way they looked at one another, it was awe-inspiring.

"I had a good day too," I agreed, nodding. And I really did.

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

It had been a month since I'd returned from the Leaf for my review and Kankuro and I were on our way to the council chambers in the Kazekage building since we'd been summoned. Temari and Gaara were already there after having attended a meeting about the academy earlier.

"Think they'll want us to teach them the Hand Jive again anytime soon?" he inquired as we stepped through the door and headed for the chambers.

He began to hum the song to himself as we strolled through the corridors.

"You have to stop that or I won't be able to take you out in public anymore," I warned him, nudging him with my elbow.

We walked into the council chamber to be greeted by Gaara and Temari stood by the entrance. The atmosphere was tense inside the great room and it was clear there had been some sort of disturbance previously. One of the seats, that great seat where the man named Juro had sat was empty.

"You four. You have been summoned here for an A rank mission. Lord Juro has been kidnapped," the man named Shou stated, reading from his clipboard. His tone gave away just how flustered he was, however and he looked totally disorganized.

"Kidnapped? By who?" Kankuro asked, shifting his puppets on his back a little.

"A criminal organization of bandits named the Irregulars kidnapped him while he was on his way to the Hidden Stone Village to negotiate importations for water. It seems this group has been causing trouble on the border with the Land of Earth for a while. They destroyed Lord Juro's convoy and took him hostage. Apparently the sheer number of them is incredible, enough to form their own village."

_That old geezer who insulted me and Gaara? What a shame he's gone, _I thought ironically.

"Which is why apparently, they want us to hand over a huge percentage of the Land of Wind's territory so that they can set up their own country. Even if we were to give in, it cannot be allowed to happen. If they're criminals anyway, any form of government they set up is a danger to us. We need to bring Lord Juro back as soon as possible and you four are the ones assigned to do so."

"Why us? Why not the ANBU?" Temari asked. "Why must we risk our lives?"

"The ANBU need to stay behind to guard the village in case they decide to attack here and the jonin are all already assigned to espionage missions on the Akatsuki. Besides, you four are among the best of the best of the Hidden Sand village, even if you are currently only chunin. And since we've heard so much from Baki about the 'Ultimate Combination Attack' we'd see it put to good use," one of the elders explained, glaring at Gaara and me darkly.

"So, you're going to risk a couple of month's training on this?! We can't promise anything really! We're good but we can't take on a whole village's worth of people," I cried, stepping forward. This was a suicide mission.

"Oh come now, Miss Uchiha. Have faith in yourselves. You and Gaara are the pride of the Leaf and Sand. Surely your training hasn't been for nothing. Don't you _prove _your value to us? Otherwise, you're merely _worthless," _that same elder hissed at us.

A thought occurred to me.

_Are they hoping we'll die out there? Are they trying to get rid of us? _

"This is a _suicide mission_!" I yelled.

"Miss Uchiha, calm yourself. That is your mission to take down these bandits and retrieve Lord Juro. Now, go! You four need to prove yourselves to us.

_Is this a test? _I wondered.

"Come on," Gaara instructed, leaving and giving the entire room a poisonous glare. "Let's go and retrieve this guy."

* * *

**Author's Note: So, my dear children, the grumpy old guy has been captured. Those elders are little bitches.  
**

**Is the pacing too slow or am I getting it right?**

**Man, Kishimoto made the time skip long. **

**Would you like the next chapter on Monday or Friday?**


	29. Chapter 29

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. This is pretty much a baby chapter. Depression sucks.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. _

* * *

_Give me life, give me love,_  
_Scarlet angel from above._  
_Not so low, not so high,_  
_Keep it perfectly disguised._

**_- Shinedown, Miracle_**

* * *

We gathered in the living room of the apartment in a loose circle.

"Okay, do we all have our kunai pouches?" Temari asked, having taken charge of the mission, being the best strategist. The dynamic among the Sand Siblings was strange. While Gaara, the youngest, was usually the leader, when it came to strategizing, he was happy to pass on the role of "leader" to his eldest sibling.

Back with Team Seven, Sasuke and Naruto were constantly clashing for leadership. They never quite worked out a hierarchy.

But here, with Temari checking over her little brothers' weapons pouches and giving Gaara a fond look, my heart fluttered a little.

"Okay, I've got the mission brief right here," Temari declared, pulling out a scroll and reading from it. "The Irregulars are based in a large compound on the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds and-"

"The Land of Birds? Where's that?" I cut in, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the border country of the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind," Temari responded impatiently, looking back down to her scroll. "They have declared that a large portion of the Land of Wind is rightfully theirs and they have destroyed and pillaged their way through the villages and the citizens living there. They wish to be granted land and to be accepted politically, and in return, they'll hand over Lord Juro. If we refuse, they have declared that they will kill him and continue taking hostages."

"So what do we know about the Irregulars?" I asked, folding my arms, a bad habit I'd picked up from Gaara.

"It says here that they're a criminal organization founded by a man named Akuji. He and his men are known to be taking women from the surrounding villages and using them…" Temari trailed off and bit her lip, glaring at the scroll she was reading from.

"What?" I spluttered. "What?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Kankuro questioned, his expression a little worked up as he too seemingly began to run through all the possibilities in his mind. Gaara frowned, waiting for Temari to continue.

"They're using them for labor to farm the land, to cook, clean and… other things we're not quite sure of yet."

"_Labor?! So like…slaves?! _WHAT THE HELL! How come there aren't more people on this? They are our… I mean, _your _people!"

"Everyone is busy protecting the village. Besides, it's not the Sand village that's being attacked. It's an outlying village, so technically it's up the feudal lord to deal with it. They're not kidnapping the Sand's women so it's not first priority."

I grunted in frustration and bit my lower lip, frowning. I knew it was a childish expression but I was growing aggravated.

_Keep your emotions in check. A shinobi never shows his feelings, _I thought to myself, trying to reign in personal feelings.

"Okay, so is there anything unusual about the women? Is it just any woman or all women? Mothers, daughters? Blondes, brunettes? What similarities do these women share?" I asked.

"They're all above thirteen and younger than twenty one. They're all what you would consider… attractive," Temari explained, watching me carefully.

"They're kidnapping attractive young girls and using them for _slave labor_?!" I shouted, feeling my fury flare up at her words, my incorrigible temper setting alight.

"Aimi, calm down. You need to stay calm," Temari soothed. "But I must remind you that our mission is to retrieve Lord Juro, not to rescue the girls."

"What?! We can't do that, we have to save everyone," I protested, glaring at her.

"You're a shinobi, Aimi, you're not a superhero," Kankuro said, butting in, reprimanding me like an older brother.

"We can't just leave these women!" I argued, my voice hysterical as I looked to Gaara who exuded calm. "We can't. Gaara, you agree, right? We can't just leave them!"

"That's not the mission. Our job is to retrieve Lord Juro," he said firmly.

"But-"

"_If _it's possible, of course we will do our best to save these girls as well. But we have to stick to the mission," Gaara concluded.

"Gaara-"

He reached out for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, the heat from his hand seeping into my cold fingers and filling me with a reassuring warmth. "Trust me. We'll do our best. But you _know _our job is to rescue Lord Juro and that takes priority."

I nodded reluctantly, deciding to trust him.

"So, what's the plan?" I sighed, cocking my head to one side and biting my tongue. I would save those women, hero or not.

"Well, I think we should use bait and then get someone on the inside and then launch an ambush. One of us needs to be bait," Temari stated, giving me a pointed look.

"What do you- Oh, hell no! No. I'm not doing it," I objected, turning and heading down the hall, throwing my hands in the air. I felt a large hand grasp my wrist then to stop me and I spun quickly around, too quickly and stumbled into Gaara's arms.

I righted myself irritably and made an exasperated sound. "No," I said firmly, looking Gaara right in the eye, even though Temari was the one who had suggested the idea of me as bait. I could see it already, me wandering the forest in a tiny little skirt and a barely-there shirt with the majority of my breasts on full show. "No. This is the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. You do it, Temari." All the while I kept my eyes locked on the sea foam of Gaara's.

"You better fit the age range. And you're a little more vulnerable looking than me, bigger eyes, bigger boobs and you're smaller than I am. You _look _the part of sexy yet innocent girl," she explained and I snapped my gaze to her, Kankuro stood behind her with an apprehensive look on his painted face.

"They might like blonds better," I grumbled. "I can't play sexy and attractive. I'm a shinobi."

"She really can't, Temari. She might _look _passable but the way she acts, she's too obviously a ninja to pull off sexy. Have you seen the way she creeps about? Especially since she came back from that Sage training. You can barely hear her moving around the apartment at all," Kankuro said. Was it me or did Gaara eyes turn a shade darker upon his elder brother's words?

"She's also a kunoichi. Kunoichis are supposed to take advantage of their God-given gifts to attract, entice and capture the enemy. She has to embrace that," Temari countered, folding her arms and giving me a very dark look. Then, she left the room and went down the hall to her room, disappearing momentarily.

"Alright, so how do I get all enticing and attractive then?" I questioned hypothetically.

"We don't have time right now. We need to get going. We were supposed to have left by now, so we'll discuss it along the way," Temari called, coming out of her room with a large pouch of supplies on a belt around her waist.

And with that we set off.

PAGEBREAK

We'd been running for hours, finally reaching the dank dark forests on the outskirts of the Land of Wind as the sky grew dim and the night drew in.

"Okay, I think we should stop here," Gaara suggested and we all came to a halt on various tree branches. We jumped down into a large clearing with plenty of shading and shadow and began to set up for the night. "We need to take a break and attack first thing tomorrow morning. So let's take a rest stop."

"Right," we all agreed. We all set about arranging our sleeping bags, aside from Gaara. Temari scalded me for not getting a thermal one, ("it's gonna get chilly tonight, apparently") and Kankuro and Temari scuttled into their sleeping bags. I grabbed an oversized T-shirt I'd folded in my sleeping bag and followed suit.

Gaara leapt up to a tree branch, just as Temari called, "Gaara, are you on watch all night?"

He grunted his affirmation from above and I snuggled down into my sleeping bag. I undressed inside the bag, taking off my catsuit as it was uncomfortable to sleep in.

_I should rethink my clothing choices,_ I told myself as I struggled into my t shirt, throwing it on over my underwear and then buried myself into my sleeping bag, hoping sleep would come quickly.

Yet somehow, I could not escape consciousness. I could hear Kankuro's snores, the rustle of the wind in the trees, my body always finding itself in an awkward position. The night air began to whip around the clearing, cold and foreboding. It was… _a little scary. _I began to shiver as the minutes passed and Temari started to murmur in her sleep. The cold was starting to sink into my bones and I was trying to curl up into a ball, the fabric of my T-shirt always in the way.

The night dragged on and still sleep evaded me. My mind wandered to the boy sat up in the tree above us. Suddenly, a wind picked up against and I hissed at the cold.

Then, I heard a light thud and the murmur of a soft voice, whispering with the wind. "Are you cold?"

I looked up to see Gaara looming over me, toying with the white cloth wrapped around him and flinging it from his body, the gourd going with it.

"Yes," I whispered as he knelt down next to me, removing his sandals. "What're you doing?"

"Move over," he instructed and I did as he said, too dumbfounded to argue as he crawled into my sleeping bag, stretching out his legs, his cold toes caressing my legs and he entangled himself in the sleeping bag.

"What're you doing?" I hissed, contrasting the way my hands splayed over his maroon body suit and my head nestled into his chest as I shivered once again.

"I think it's one of my duties as your boyfriend to make sure you don't freeze to death overnight," he murmured, nuzzling his head into my hair.

"My boyfriend?" I asked, looking up at him, the shock much more evident in my eyes than I would have liked. The wind whistled around us and he held my gaze steady, confident. "You're my boyfriend?"

His lip curled then and he wrapped an arm around me, his scent so concentrated in this small space as I cuddled closer into him, our legs intertwining, our toes grasping at each other playfully. He was so affectionate tonight.

"I would like to think so after everything that's happened between us," he said wryly, his hand that was slung over my body reaching up under my shirt and pressing against my back, against the one truly warm part of my body. I shivered again and he just held me closer, as we tried to warm up.

"I hope you're my boyfriend. I'd like that. But it just doesn't feel like enough to explain how I feel for you properly. It doesn't sound like enough," I told him, yawning at the end, feeling tears prick at the edge of my vision. Somehow, with all the fatigue, I still felt little electric shocks on my back where his fingers made contact with my skin. It still shocked me that _he _wanted _me, _that this was really happening for us.

"I know what you mean," he said, his voice low and collected.

Gaara and I just worked. He was calm and steady, steady like the suburban river lazily rolling through fields, meandering through a forest. I was a mountain stream, restless and wild, gushing over sharp rocks, tumbling down cliff faces.

But together what we had was an ocean of virtue, of truth and love. We didn't have to sink anymore, to drown in the pure _shit _that life had handed out to us, we could float, soar over the ocean that together, we had created.

We needed each other, I needed him to bring me down to earth, to steady me and keep me calm and he needed me to take him to the sky, to show him passion and fierce, fierce love.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice sailing on the night winds.

"I love you too," I promised, trying not to sound too breathless at his words.

_He finally said it._

I felt my heartbeat growing erratic at his words and I leaned up and captured his lips in a soft kiss, my hand coming up to his hair, entangling in blood red locks. I could feel it now, the way we felt for each other and I wanted to drown in him, in us. "You hold me together."

"And you gave me medicine. You healed my wounds," he said, as my fingers came up to trace his scar once again, the strokes and dashes the same color as his hair.

"I love you, Gaara," I repeated and his eyes apprehended me, green on hazel in the dark of the night in this forest. He looked as if he were boring into my soul, just _checking _for any traces of deceit. He must have found none as the next second, his eyes had closed, all blackened eyelids again and he leaned down to me and kissed me once again, his lips touching mine tenderly. I opened my mouth to allow him access and our tongues danced together slowly, the passion smoldering between us. "Are you staying here all night?"

"I'll hold you while you sleep so you don't get cold," he whispered, all the time _those eyes _holding me. Sometimes, just that gaze brought me back down to earth and yet, what he had given me was ethereal.

He was earth and I was heaven.

And as I drifted off to sleep in his arms, a memory flickered in the corner of my mind.

"_When heaven and earth are opened together, the pairless path will become righteous forever._"

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry, guys, for not posting Monday but I'm posting tonight instead. I'll post again on Saturday.**

**I just wanted to tell you all the reason for it. I've suffered from depression for a long time going in and out of it and recently I've been sinking into it again and it's starting to worry me and consume me a little so it's been hard to write. But I knuckled down and this is what happened. I know it sucks but yeah, Gaara said he loves her!**

**Was the confession okay? I wanted it to be simple yet romantic.**

**Also, I got tumblr. My handle is thefifthkazekage. What're your tumblrs? I want to follow you guys! :)  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_She said I should come over,_  
_Though there's carnage at times._  
_It still seems I'd chop a limb off,_  
_Before I put up a fight._

_**The Wombats, Techno Fan**_

* * *

"Is she _still _asleep?"

"Leave her be." A voice as low and steady as the beating drum, music to my ears.

"Gaara, she has to wake up sometime. We need to train her in being you know… _sexy_ before we set off for the compound this afternoon. We can't do that while she's wrapped around you and dead to the world like that."

"Leave her be." That voice again.

I could feel strong arms around me, my legs wrapped up in clothed limbs, feet on feet, toes on toes. I was warm.

_Gaara.  
_  
This felt so right, so good and I snuggled closer for warmth, nuzzling into his chest and sighing, my hands snaking up to his neck. I kept my eyes closed as I inhaled, taking in the scent his scent of amber and musk.

"She's awake then," a female voice snapped. "Aimi, get up! Get up, get up, get up! You need attractive lessons!"

A shadow loomed over me and my eyes flew open to be greeted by Kankuro's face glaring down at me, shadowing the sun.

"Go away, asshat," I groaned, shutting my eyes again and leaning into Gaara's body. He seemed to wrap his arms tighter around me almost instinctively, pulling me ever closer to him. "I'm sleeping. You kept me up with your snoring."

"Aimi!" he shouted, nudging me with his foot. "Could you get off my brother for just a moment and get ready so I can teach you how to woo the male species?"

I sat up and growled in frustration, aware that my hair was sticking up and out at many angles. Then, I remembered I wasn't wearing any bottoms. "I, er, I can't, I'm not wearing many bottoms."

Gaara began to untangle himself from the bag and shuffled out of the sleeping bag very carefully so as not to expose any of my body indecently to his siblings. "It's fine. There's some clothes here I need you to put on anyway," Temari said, pulling out a little indigo-colored scroll and yelling, "Summoning Jutsu!"

I expected her Kamatari to appear, but instead a small mound of black and white clothing appeared. She tossed them to me and I caught them lithely.

One particular item caught my eye - a lacy black bra. I blushed scarlet, trying to hide it from Gaara and Kankuro's eyes before hissing, "What the hell is this for?! I don't need this!"

"You do for the white tank top you're wearing over it," she replied matter-of-factly as I noticed the article in question. And there it was, the black pleated mini-skirt from my nightmares.

"Just be thankful we're letting you wear the protocol black sandals. I argued that for you. Temari would've had you in heels," Kankuro told me, watching as I grimaced at the clothes.

"So the point of the black bra is so that it's visible through the white top, right?" I surmised, sneering at the clothes.

"Lesson one in attractiveness one-oh-one: clothing choices," Temari stated. "Now, get them on. Boys, go into the trees and don't come out until I say so."

Kankuro and Gaara did as she said wordlessly, disappearing off into the bushes and I bit my thumb, drawing blood. I placed my hand on the ground, simultaneously hearing Temari ask, "What're you doing?" as I said, "Summoning Jutsu."

In a cloud of smoke, all seven feet of Shiga appeared, staring down at me with those penetrating eyes in all his majestic glory. He did not speak.

"Hey, Shiga, could you cover me? I need to get changed," I asked the great lion who shook his regal mane and nodded obligingly, his huge body coming down towards me as he curled himself around me, forming a barrier between where the boys were, somewhere in the bushes.

Temari stayed silent, watching as I conversed with my summon.

"You seem irritable," Shiga commented impassively, his head on his front paws as he stared off into the forest, not looking at me.

"I'm having attractiveness lessons," I responded as I struggled into the skirt, still in the sleeping bag. "Apparently, I'm too stealthy to be sexy."

Shiga made a noise of disapproval. "It must be your sagedom. You are glorious as you are, just like your mother."

"Did my mother summon you for stuff like this on missions?" I questioned as I fastened on my bra underneath the t-shirt I'd worn overnight.

"Sometimes. She would often summon me when she was lonely when cleaning around the house before you and your brothers were born, just for some company," he explained as I whipped off my t-shirt and replaced it quickly with the white tank top. Standing up, I looked down at my body and noticed something immediately.

Too much cleavage. "Temari, why did you get me a push up bra?"

"Haven't you ever heard of 'if you've got it, flaunt it'?" she asked, her tone teasing. "You look great, just the perfect amount of accidental sexiness and subtle innocence. Boys, you can come back now,"

"This skirt is ridiculous!" I exclaimed as I noticed it barely passed by the top of my thighs. "Temari, this is ridiculous! I can't wear this! This is exploitative!"

"You're a _kunoichi_, Aim Uchiha. Act like one!" Temari yelled, giving me a poisonous look as her brothers walked back into the clearing. Kankuro did a double take as he took me in, Gaara seemingly impassive. But those striking eyes raked my body once again, coming to a stop at my throat.

"Shiga," I said, secretly enjoying the 'whoosh' of the skirt as I turned to my summon. "I'm not crazy, right? I don't need to wear this." As unnecessary as I thought the outfit was, I was a little smug. I felt like a woman, rather than the warrior I'd been training to be since I was born.

"As your mother's representative, I would tell you that the skirt is far too short. But as your friend and as _your_ summon, Temari is right. You have to take advantage of your femininity. You look much more like a civilian this way."

I scowled and folded my arms. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

Temari knelt down at that moment, to her pouch and pulled out a crimson scroll, unraveling it on the ground, display what looked like a map, contours of emeralds, jades and forest greens, displaying the landscape.

"This," she said, pointing to a position where a large red 'X' was marked on the map, "is where their compound is. It is twenty miles from where we are right now. It's not very far from the main trail out of this town," and she jabbed at a nearby circle over a cluster of gray on the map, "so we can make it look like Aimi was just exploring the land or going for a walk. I'm sure they'll have guards scouting the area. I'm hoping they'll pick up on Aimi and take her in."

"Gaara," she pointed at her youngest brother who was also folding his arms, his brow furrowed as he focused on his sister, "will use his Third Eye technique to keep an eye on Aimi and track her movements."

At that moment, she turned to me again, "You're to go in there and let them do what they want to you to a certain extent. Try and find out where they're holding Lord Juro. Do _not_ activate your sharingan. One of the reasons I've had you get changed is so they don't recognize you."

"Why would they?" I asked as Temari picked up her pouch and came toward me.

"You never know. You can never be too careful when we don't know the enemy's hand. Anyway, the next lesson in attractiveness is appearance," she declared, putting a hand on my shoulder and forcing me onto my knees, the grass tickling at my skin as Temari joined me on the ground. "I'm going to do your makeup and your hair."

She pulled out several brushes and set to work brushing substances and powders over my face, my cheekbones, my eyelids. "Now, remember, you're innocent. Act like you've never seen war, you've never seen pain. You need to let go of all that and act like your average teenage girl. Think what that's like."

I envisaged myself as an ordinary girl, a teenager who had never seen battle, never seen my family die at the hands of my eldest brother. I'd probably be lighter, brighter, much more carefree and much less thoughtful. I'd dance more, cook and clean with my mother and think about boys all the time. My main goal would be to get married and to serve my husband and raise our children.

"Now, there are two types of sexiness, Aimi, speaking as a teenage boy," Kankuro explained, getting on his knees by my side, Shiga giving him a very dark look, possibly wary of any man showing any interest in me. It was like having a parent all the time. How I had missed that, how I needed that. "Innocence and confidence."

"Now, for these men to be attacking villages and stealing women, I'm going to be teaching you how to play on innocence to be sexy," Kankuro explained. It was strange to hear him sound so serious, to be talking about "sexiness" with all that purple war paint plastered onto his face. "You need to act like you have no idea what sex is, no idea that you might be hot or that you can practically see your insides, your skirt's that short."

I nodded sternly as Temari set to work with a comb in my hair, backcombing it. "I'm doing your hair so it looks too big for you and drowns you, making you look smaller," Temari explained. I noticed Gaara stood slightly out of the way, watching proceedings disinterestedly.

"Exactly," Kankuro agreed, nodding seriously at his seriously. "Now, you have to act like a vulnerable animal. For example, like a deer. Imagine yourself having big doe eyes. Pout your lips to make them look bigger. Pretend everything embarrasses you and that you're helpless."

"I'm not helpless!" I yelled instinctively, my voice fierce. I smiled wryly then. This was exactly where I was going wrong.

"_We _know you're not, but the enemy have to think you are. You have to be a damsel-in-distress. Men love that, thinking they can rescue women and save them. Now I know you don't need saving," he said quickly as I gave him a very sharp look. "But these men have to think you're easy prey or they might not kidnap you."

I grimaced. "Right, let me try it," I said confidently, clearing my throat as Temari removed the comb from my hair which felt very heavy as I tumbled over my breasts, a natural crown. I lifted a finger to my lips and fluttering my eyelids, angling my face to the ground as I looked up at Kankuro under my mascara-laden eyelashes. "H-hi," I stuttered. "I'm- I'm Aimi."

"Perfect!" Kankuro complimented. Gaara looked impassive as he watched on and I couldn't help wondering what he thought of my display. "How did you do that?"

"I just pretended I was Hinata Hyuga," I replied, winking at him and then stopping suddenly, biting my lip and going back into character. "Do you- do you maybe think… I could pass… for innocent?"

He chuckled. "Remember, when a man is talking to you, it should make you blush. So try to blush on demand."

I frowned then and looked to the sky. "Things to make me blush," I mused, and then my eyes fell on Gaara stood several feet behind Kankuro, an omniscient presence. I took him in and then it came to me.

Gaara stood in the shower, his head thrown back into the stream of water, rivulets of liquid trailing down the contours of his body, down his muscles, the pale skin of his pectoral muscles, down the faintly defined lines of his abdominal muscles and then further down to his…

"There we are!" Kankuro said slyly, knowing full well that my vision was on Gaara as the blood rushed to my cheeks. "Just think… whatever you were thinking then."

Although, I swore I heard him whisper, "_About my baby brother_," under his breath.

"And now for lesson number three: your gait," Kankuro declared, getting to his feet. I followed suit, as did his sister. "Now, I've noticed that since you came back from your Sage training, you walk on your tiptoes, right?"

"Yeah, so I can get away quickly," I responded, wondering where this was going.

"Try rolling back onto your heels slowly with your hands on your hips and move with one foot in front of the other in a line to create more contours in your silhouette," he instructed.

I frowned. "Kankuro, how the hell do you know all of this? Why are you teaching me? Why isn't Temari?"

"Because I observe women a lot more than Temari does and I've had a lot of time to analyze it," he explained, nodding solemnly and gesturing to the clearing. Temari sighed and shook her head at her brother. He stuck his tongue out at her and ordered, "Now, try it."

I took a shaky step in the direction of the trees, trying to roll back onto my heel and put one leg in front of the other like I'd seen Kurenai-sensei do. I stumbled backward and yelped as I lost my balance and skidded backwards on all fours, hissing, shocking myself that _I _had lost my balance.

"You okay, Aims?" Temari asked, her gaze worried.

"Sorry, I just… I just lost my balance. It freaked me out," I explained, my tone low. Just saying it aloud made it _real. _

Kankuro began guffawing. "This _kid,_" he choked out, pointing at me.

"Hey asshole! You try being sexy! It'd take you way longer than it'll take me!" I snarled. Gaara was watching me again, this time with a smirk gracing his features. I blushed again and bit my lip, unable to stop myself smiling.

I attempted it a few more times, unable to deal with swaying my hips and coordinating it with the rest of my movements.

"For God's sake, _why _can't you understand?! It's so simple," Kankuro growled in frustration as I stumbled and grimaced at my failings.

"Calm _down, _Kankuro. She's an Uchiha, she was raised around boys _and _she's a cat sage, this can't be easy," Temari allowed, smiling encouragingly at me. Even Shiga was looking impatient now as he watched with disinterest, sighing now and then every time I failed.

"I can't do it," I whined impatiently, grunting with frustration.

At that moment, Gaara, who had barely spoken all morning, stepped forward and walked towards me, so graceful I was jealous. "She can do it," he stated firmly.

"I can't," I moaned, scowling and folding my arms.

"You can. It's a dance," he told me, taking my hands softly from where they were folded across my chest and placing one on his strong shoulder, the other in his hand. His movements were so defined, so definite. He was so comfortable with us. "Walk like you're dancing."

I inhaled deeply and nodded to him. And then he signaled for us to walk with our hand signals. As I walked forwards, he walked backwards. I could hear the music in my head and I could feel it. I was _sexy _as I strutted, arching my leg out, admiring it below us as I rolled onto my heel and pounded the ground as if I were beautiful, as if I were attractive. I felt my hair flowing behind me and I swayed my hips. This _was _a dance, I'd moved with Gaara like this before.

"YES!" Kankuro cheered, punching the air and beaming. Temari grinned and nodded as Gaara continued to lead me backward, smiling at me kindly and releasing my hand, bringing his finger up to my cheek and brushing it as I smirked, still swaggering.

"Gaara, how did you do that?" Temari questioned breathlessly, sounding fatigued and surprised. "How did you know that was how to do it?"

"Aimi and I spent a lot of time together dancing and learning each other's movements inside out. I know how her body works as well as Lord Shiga," he explained, his eyes gazing fondly upon mine and my face flushed again.

"She also learns practically. You two look right together when you dance. It is total synchronization," Shiga commented, appraising us with wise eyes.

"I should hope so! We trained our butts off to learn to move like that," I said, grinning knowingly at Gaara. "Thanks, Gaara."

"Try it without me now," he tutored, stepping backwards. "It's just like dancing on your own, as we did in training."

I vaguely remembered a song the night of his birthday that had been playing in the background before we'd spent some time alone doing the most indecent passionate thing we ever had. _But I don't wanna dance if I'm not dancing with you. _

"Okay." And I wheeled around, picturing Gaara on the opposite side of the clearing.

_I can do this _I told myself. And I stepped, knowing the rhythm now, knowing to roll my hips, roll onto my heels, to toss my hair over my shoulder like Kurenai-sensei and Lady Tsunade, knowing to stick my chest out the way I had seen Ino do so many times.

"Woo! You got it!" Temari exclaimed. I beamed and chuckled, scratching the back of my head modestly.

"It feels weird," I admitted, looking down at my summon, my safety net.

"You will get used to it," Shiga promised. "Anyway, I must leave. You know where I am." And with that, he vanished in a great cloud of smoke.

"So you've got it! Finally!" Kankuro said, sighing with relief. "I think that's all your training done for today."

"Really? That was harder than what I'm used to, I won't lie to you," I confessed.

"We need to pack up and get-" But Kankuro was cut off, because at that moment, the clearing was filled with battle cries.

Men, huge tall stocky men, leapt out of the rustling bushes, all of them brandishing weapons, kunais, huge blades, one with a bow and arrow as they surrounded us. One particular man, no, a boy, was smaller than the others. He had no weapon but he looked just as confident, just as cold-hearted as the other men.

The four of us flew into a formation, back to back in a circle all facing off against our opponents. I heard Gaara's cork fly out of his gourd, Temari brandishing her fan forward, Kankuro's puppets already out. I activated my sharingan.

_So damn stupid! How didn't I _sense _them?! _I reprimanded myself.

_Because you were too busy celebrating that you can now act like a total slut. _I growled in frustration.

"Give us all of your money and we won't hurt you," one of the bandits declared, leaning forward, facing off against Kankuro.

"Look, buddies. We're on a mission. You don't wanna mess with us. We'll _kill _you," I growled, squaring off against the one without a weapon, trying to intimidate him.

"Hey, is that the sharingan?" one of the criminals questioned his accomplice. The man stood next to him nodded warily, staring at me.

"Think about moving and I'll kill you," I snarled, my eyes flashing to all of the ones in my sight line.

"Ah, this one sure likes to talk a lot. And she's dressed so _lewdly. _We should take her for our own," one of the men murmured.

Then, the whole scene descended into chaos so suddenly. I barely had time to register what was happening as great masses of sand flew around the clearing, attacking the bandits, sending them flying. Kunai began being hurled in our direction and I blocked as many of them as I could. Kankuro, Gaara and Temari began engaging in battle. They didn't notice the one without the weapon make for the backpack we always brought with us, with all of our money in it. I watched as the young man slipped through the fighting, grabbed the bag and took off.

"Oh no, you don't, shrimp!" I yelled, taking off after him, tearing through the forest. He jumped from tree branch to tree branch, deeper into the clearing until we must've been around a quarter of a mile away from the original battle site where I could still hear the sounds of a struggle.

"Hey! I'd stop if I were you, buddy! I have you cornered practically. I won't hold back and I _will _kill you if I have to, I meant what I said!" I shouted to him as he came to a stop and rounded on me, clutching our backpack. "Just hand it over and I won't hurt you, I promise."

I smiled kindly at him, his young face, tanned skin, angry eyes staring right back at me. He looked pained in his ratty clothes and sullen expression. He was barefoot and his skin was covered in patches of dirt. I began to feel sorry for him.

He placed his hands together and immediately my sharingan read his hand signs before I could register that he was about to use a jutsu.

_Dragon. Horse. Tiger._

"Fire Style: Fire Tsunami!" he yelled, his voice rasping and breaking, probably from lack of nutrition.

A huge wall of fire soared upwards in front of him, as if the ground itself was spewing up its hatred and jealousy for the word itself, vomiting its anger in its angry reds and oranges.

It roared towards me, towering above me, shadowing the entire world, blocking out the sun with its own fiery blaze, taking over _my _world.

_Holy hell._

My eyes were still open.

_I'm going to die._

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh dear. What do you think is going to happen? Angry fire is angry.**

**Also, I kinda drew a picture of Aimi. It's of how I imagine she looks with her catsuit. She has no face in this particular picture because faces are too mainstream (No, I just suck at drawing.) If you wanna see it, leave me a review and I'll put a cheeky link on the next chapter to it. :)  
**

**I'm still suffering pretty bad depression but thanks for all your supportive reviews, it brightens my day just a little bit more and gives me some reason. Thank you all so much.**

**Also, please go and read Tango with Death by my friend KiraChan44. It's incredible, I promise you.**

**So yeah, what do you think is going to happen to Aimi? When would you next like me to update?**


	31. Chapter 31

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. I am on this major health kick at the minute, however. Fifty minutes of cardio a day. Hate. Life.  
_**

_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language._

* * *

_Hallelujah, I'm caving in_

_Hallelujah, I'm in love again_

_Hallelujah, I'm a wretched man_

_Hallelujah, every breath is a second chance_

_**-Switchfoot, Always**_

* * *

Suddenly, I felt something strike my chest and I was being thrown through the air, backwards, away from the huge wall of fire headed towards me. I fell into a heap on the ground, curled up into a ball, coughing. I was incredibly winded.

I noticed a huge shadow loom over me.

_Strange… How would fire make a shadow? _I thought absent-mindedly to myself as I struggled to gain my breath back. At that moment, I looked up and noticed a tsunami of sand, half a mile high, reaching for the sky as if for salvation, headed for the fire. And behind it, on a hovering disc of sand was the man I loved.

_Gaara_, I thought, watching his figure, arms outstretched, directing the sand at the fire. It engulfed it, swallowed it up, and as the sand collapsed onto the ground, I could not see the boy who had stolen from us.

I got to my feet gingerly and yelled, "Gaara!" I beamed as he turned to me in his maroon overalls and that white cloth. It blew in the breeze behind him, and I vaguely wondered if I had ever seen a shinobi look so much like a superhero as geysers of sand streaked towards the sky.

Suddenly, a haze of red swept down over my eyes. "What the hell do you think you were doing? I totally had that down!" I shouted, running to where his disc of sand was landing on the earth. "You didn't need to rescue me."

He leapt lithely off his sand onto the ground and rolled his eyes silently at me.

"I didn't! I could've handled that-"

But I was cut off as his lips met mine, his arms snaking around my body and pulling me closer to him desperately as his tongue begged for entrance. I allowed him and his tongue traced mine, the roof of my mouth, exploring the familiar crevices of me as I reveled in the affection. His hands pulled me urgently to him and I felt their warmth through the thin fabric of my white tank top. He kissed me so passionately, so fiercely, I felt I might melt and he sighed into the kiss, dominating me.

Finally, he pulled away and green met hazel as he caught my eye. "I cannot risk losing you. It is not an option."

"Really?" I breathed, totally caught up in the watery depths of sea foam green.

He responded by catching my lips again and kissing me softly.

"Gaara," I whispered, reaching up to his face and stroking his cheekbone with the pad of my thumb. "You're never going to lose me. I'm right here."

"Then please refrain from being so reckless in the future," he said stiffly, folding his arms, the shadow of a smirk on his face.

I made a disgruntled noise and mirrored his posture, folding my arms too. "I wasn't _being _–"

But at that moment, I heard Temari's voice from out in the trees shouting, "Hey! You two! Are you out here?"

She sped into the clearing with Kankuro stumbling behind her, both of them out of breath, beads of sweat set on their faces, the sheens of exhaustion apparent on their faces. Both of them were quite handsome when you looked at them, _really _looked at them. Temari's face was gracious yet fierce, her teal eyes complimenting her sunshine blonde hair perfectly, long limbs and full lips. Her smile, very different from her smirk, was radiant.

Kankuro's dramatic makeup made him look far more intimidating than handsome, yet the few times I'd seen him without his purple warpaint, he looked extraordinarily like the photographs I had seen of his father, handsome and regal.

But neither of them, in my eyes, compared to the striking features of Gaara of the Desert.

"There you guys are! When Aimi ran off and you went after her, we got really worried! We just got rid of those clowns," Temari gasped, panting. "Woah! What's with the ocean of sand? Gaara…" Her final word was more like a warning as she glared at her little brother as if she were scolding him.

"Aimi needed me," he said simply, moving to walk past them, heading out towards the compound so far away.

"Er… yeah. I kinda screwed up," I giggled sheepishly. At that moment, I stopped sharply and allowed my expression to fall into a sullen one. "But I didn't need saving, I swear. Gaara just got overprotective. I totally had it down. I even managed to copy the Fire Tsunami technique one of them had."

Gaara turned around then, his eyes shut, the black tanuki markings contrasting with his fair skin. He opened his eyes and rolled them in my direction once again and I beamed, running to him, past his brother and sister and wrapped my arms around him, shocking him. He went stiff and stared down at me and I nuzzled my head into his shoulder, closing my eyes and embracing his warmth and his amber, musk and spices scent, truly tantalizing.

"Thank you," I murmured. I felt his body relax a little, his brother and sister's eyes on us as they watched another rare "public" display of affection. He leaned his head down so his nose skimmed my hair and I felt him inhale deeply, relishing in me. We were _so _well suited for one another.

We spent the rest of the day walking towards the compound slowly, stealthily, discussing tactics. I was to go in as dusk fell and to make it look like maybe I'd had a little too much sake. It was the most opportune moment for a young girl of my age to go missing.

As the heavens molted into shades of baby pink, violent orange and sky blue, we came to a stop in a clearing but a mile from the compound, as Gaara signaled for us to cease movement.

"My sensory sand tells me there's three men about two hundred meters up ahead. They seem to be on watch," he said matter-of-factly, watching my face closely for any sign of faltering.

I keep my expression steady, trying not to give away whatever he was searching for in my eyes.

"Right, well… this is it. Are you ready?" Kankuro asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. I nodded steadily, gazing at the trees ahead and trying to remember all my training, the dances, the expression, the act. This was what it meant to be a kunoichi.

"You can do it, Aimi. Be fearless," Temari advised, her eyes looking a little concerned as she watched my eyes gazing at the darkening trees up ahead. The darkness had never frightened me before, yet at this moment, I felt fear as I stared upon the unknown.

"I'll be watching every second," Gaara promised and I caught his eye again. He looked sincere. "You won't be alone."

I smiled wryly at him, unable to fully show how much I appreciated him doing this, saying this, even though he needed to. I inhaled and swore to steel my nerves to myself. "I can do this. You'll watch over me, right, Gaara?"

"Always."

* * *

I had been walking on the main track for several minutes. And then, I heard the sounds of male snickers and banter through the undergrowth. The sky was a furious shade of red now.

But I knew a brown eye was somewhere behind me, watching silently. Somewhere nearby, Gaara had two fingers to a blackened eyelid as he watched me walking into the lion's den. It made me almost self-conscious knowing he was watching me closely. I wondered vaguely if he could appreciate what he saw even now. At that moment, I silently reprimanded myself.

We were on a mission and this had to go down perfectly. The life of a council elder was at stake here.

I rounded a corner and I could see the figures of three tall, full grown men, all in nothing but black holster vests and full length black trousers. Their expression screamed "intimidating" and they had been talking before they noticed me, but as they did, they fell totally silent. I steeled myself once again, reminding myself that Gaara was out there, that I could do this.

I began to strut towards them, tossing my hair over my shoulders like I really felt beautiful, confident. I knew the sunset was directly behind me, blazing like a fire behind me, crowning me. This would not go amiss. The three men up ahead were still gawking at me as I neared them, lined up across the road, blocking it.

I got to within several feet of them and I murmured, "Um… gentleman?" I giggled then, like a silly innocent little girl who had drank far too much wine. "Please could you move? I have… somewhere I kinda need to be," and with that, I pouted, looking up at them under my eyelashes.

They gaped at each other, before the rugged one on the left with a shaggy amount of facial hair leered at me and then grinned at his friends. "Hey, honey, where you headed? It sure is getting late. Maybe you better come for a drink with me and my men. We can show you a real good time." And he winked at me.

_Leech, _I thought, fighting the urge to vomit at his sickly sweet act.

"A good time?" I sang hopefully, faking a hiccup and giggling, placing both of my hands on my chest and sticking it out very blatantly. "What kind of a… good time?" And I giggled again.

_God, this could get old, _I thought to myself as I watched all three of them ogle my cleavage, my legs, anything they could feast their eyes on.

"You'll see, sweetheart. You sure are a pretty young thing," the bearded one murmured, coming right up close to me. I thought of Gaara naked again, the streams of water dripping down the curve of his ass, down the shaft of his…

"Look at that blush, Yuuto! She sure is a pretty one," the one in the middle, lean and slender murmured, surveying me with icy blue eyes. "We should take her to the boss."

"Who's the boss?" I asked, hiccuping and leaning forward into the bearded one's body, the one named Yuuto and giggling, "I think I drank too much sake. Your beard is so… so mesmerizing…"

I was laying it on thick now, pretending to truly be drunk as I allowed my gaze to wander around to the men's faces, trying to pretend my gaze was fuzzy, surreal, as if I was intoxicated.

"She's a cute one," the one on the right, stocky and short with a shock of platinum hair. "The boss'll take care of you, angel. What's your name?"

"My… my name? It's Ai- Aiko." I managed to pass off my hesitation as slurring my words as I stumbled into the man named Yuuto's arms and he caught me, his arms gripping me.

How I _hated _it, _hated _the feel of another man's arms around me. These ones were too large, too stocky, too short, they didn't hold me like Gaara did. They didn't keep me safe like Gaara did. I wondered what he was thinking looking on with his Third Eye technique. Was he jealous, angry or indifferent?

This man smelled wrong. He smelled like sulfur, pine and hatred. I _despised _that. And for the first time in so long, I felt homesick, homesick for those arms that held me, that reminded me that our love was brave and wild yet strong and eternal.

And it was that thought that steadied me, that together, Gaara and I could burn cities, win wars and build a home.

I had faith in Gaara to protect me as the man named Yuuto lifted me into his arms, bridal-style and began to carry me off. "You'll love where we're going, baby. We can have _so much fun_!"

"Really?" I began to guffaw then, laughing uncontrollably, trying to mimic what I had seen of intoxicated people.

And then, his _huge _hand, the size of a trashcan lid rose up from his side and it fell onto my bare legs. He began to slide it up my thigh, to my panties, his comrades looking on as he repeated, "_So much fun_."

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think is going to happen? Think Gaara'll come and save her before shit goes down? Do you think the people at the compound'll recognize her? And what of our poor Lord Juro? (asshat)**

**Go read Tango With Death by KiraChan44. It's a GaaraxOC and it's incredible, I really really like it.**

**I do promise a lemon coming up soon, I just really wanted to wait until they're at least fifteen. Is that okay?**

**Also, I have an exam coming up on Wednesday so I won't be posting until after then. But after then, I will be able to post two or three times a week. Is that okay? **


	32. Chapter 32

_**DISCLAIMER - I do **_not _**own Naruto. I own Yuuto and his pals but they're jerks. I'll sell them to you for a dime.**_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language.**_

* * *

_Runs like a silent flood,_

_we run as thick as blood._

_Can you hear it rise,_

_up from the ground?_

'_Can't drown it out._

_Can you hear it now?_

_**Switchfoot, The Sound**_

* * *

The man named Yuuto and his pair of cronies carried me through the undergrowth _leisurely_, guffawing at my silence when they tried to lead me into lewd conversation, ogling my body crudely.

They took my few words and occasional giggles as endearing shyness rather than the careful analysis that was taking place in my brain.

The dulling sky and the feel of the chilly evening air on my bare skin instilled in me a hard sense of determination that overwhelmed the niggling feeling of discomfort as these men leered at me and egged each other on while they senselessly attempted to flirt with me in between my chirpy hiccups.

"Look at those big doe eyes, Soaku! Can you imagine them looking up at you?" the one with icy blue eyes commented as he stared at me full in the face and I gazed back, wide-eyed, trying to seem mesmerized by those cold eyes.

"While she's on her _knees," _the platinum haired one who must have been Soaku intimated, leaning over me and causing me to jump at his sudden proximity and blush as I forced the image of the time I had given Gaara oral sex to the fore of my mind. I giggled then and faked another hiccup.

"You think the boss will like her?" the icy eyed one asked as I noticed a dirt trail appear at our feet, leading further into the forest.

"Undoubtedly, Iyaka. She's beautiful and she's got the body for all this. She's just what Lord Akuji requested," Yuuto responded.

They continued to carry me through the trees and to rub each other's egos senselessly as a huge dome loomed from out of the darkness. It was a putrid shade of burgundy, a fuchsia tone emitting from the few windows dotted about the structure. It gave off a foreboding presence, an evil aura, as if the depths of hell had risen from the underworld to become a reality right here on Earth.

Hiccup. "Guys," I drawled, running my fingertips down the chest of the man named Yuuto who was still holding me close. He flinched a little under my touch as if my impulsive actions had surprised him. But then, he smirked down at me and chuckled. "Are we here?"

"This is it, little girl," Iyaka stated, those penetrating icy eyes appraising me as we continued to walk towards the great structure. I could see a couple of guards stationed at the entrance, also wearing merely holster vests and full length black trousers.

As we neared them, Soaku shouted to them.

"Hey! Look what we found!" He gestured to me then, pointing a stubby finger in my direction, where I giggled and flushed once again, remembering my position. I was supposed to be drunk and considering the poor display I was putting on, these men were either desperate or dumb.

We reached them then and I could see that the guards both wore similar war-hardened expressions of contempt. Somehow, this expression of anger, of displeasure made them look similar, dark cold eyes and locked jaws.

"She's nice," one of them grunted, assessing me. "The boss isn't back yet anyway so just take her straight to the communal cells."

"Cells?!" I gasped, playing along a little. I knew where I was going it wasn't pretty but I kicked my legs and struggled weakly in Yuuto's arms, flailing like a fish. I stopped abruptly as I realized Soaku was attempting to stare straight up my skirt and I blushed _for real _then. "Why cells? I thought this was s-supposed to be fun!"

"Oh… it is fun," Yuuto replied. "For us."

_Sadist, _I thought wryly, as I allowed an expression of fear to grace my features.

"I love it when they look like that. This one looks even better. What's her name?" Iyaka mused.

"Her name is Aiko, apparently."

_Oh, just talk about me like I'm not here_, I thought bitingly as I leaned back and grinned at the sky, still laying it on thick. I giggled then and whispered in a dangerously seductive voice, holding his gaze with hooded eyes, "Hey, Yuuto. Promise you won't leave me, you'll come to the," and then I giggled, as if I truly didn't understand what was happening, "cells with me…right? _Lord _Yuuto?"

This time, it was his turn to blush. "Errrrm…"

"Do you like this one, Yuuto?" Soaku asked, smirking as his companion gazed down at me. The shoe was on the other foot. This was how it was supposed to be. I wasn't about to be controlled by any man. I wasn't about to play any games other than the way I played them. This was my show.

"Oh, he _loves _me," I giggled again, leaning back in his arms and guffawing, before finishing with a soft hiccup to underline my supposed drunken state. "You boys are _joking _about the cells, right?"

At that moment, the guards from in front of the building moved so quickly, I barely had time to register what was happening as they came at me. Yuuto's grip on me was strong and solid. I fought all my natural urges to resist, knowing that I could give away my ninja status and fell limp as a ragdoll, mentally bracing myself as they roughly grasped my head. I shut my eyes.

_Don't move, don't move. Squeal! Seem like you have no idea what's going on! _I told myself, squealing and struggling only a little to make my show seem a little more realistic. I felt the men crudely wrap something around my eyes and I knew I'd been blindfolded tightly. Then, they reached for my arms roughly, grabbing them and forcing them together behind my body, Yuuto handling me very carefully and precisely from what I could tell, jostling me between his arms as the men worked on me.

"There," one of the guards said, sighing as he released me. "Now she can be taken to the cells."

"What's going on? I don't get it! I'm scared!" I cried, playing along and struggling just enough to seem panicked, but not so much that I gave away the fact that I was a trained kunoichi.

"You'll be fine, little girl," Yuuto whispered and he began to move, his unsteady gait making me feel a little sickly. He and his friends continued to guffaw and laugh, goading me as they supposedly carried me into the building.

I could see nothing and it made me very uneasy, all the more potent because I mainly relied on my sharingan to aid me during battle. I didn't know how to handle this situation and I myself was beginning to genuinely panic and I froze in my captor's arms, my natural reaction kicking in to play dead.

I could smell nothing, taste nothing, feel nothing apart from the sway of Yuuto's walk and see nothing. All I could hear was the sound of the men chuckling and making small talk about what they were having for dinner. Was it to be yaki soba or fish? I listened hard for any mention of Juro's name but I heard no mention of anything but food or my body.

Finally, we turned down a corridor and the temperature grew colder, more dangerous. My senses were tingling, as if I was being watched. There were people around.

Then, I heard the clanging of metal and a key being turned in a lock, the creak of a rusty door.

"Throw her in there," I heard one of the men say. It wasn't Yuuto, and yet I couldn't distinguish between their voices properly without my sight. It was in this moment that I realized how truly reliant I, and the rest of the Uchiha clan, were too arrogantly dependent on our dojutsu. Other ninja would have already noted tonalities in vocals mentally. And yet, here was another flaw.

I felt myself being thrown through the air suddenly and my heart dropped just as I hit a hard stone floor, landing on my hip. I knew immediately it'd bruise and I cursed inwardly, trying desperately to wriggle out of the restraints on my hands so I could free my eyes. If only I could _see..._

The men's laughter rang in my ears as they watched me struggle.

"Good bye, pretty girl!"

"Will you miss her, Yuuto?"

"Oh no, I got a pretty good look at her, if you know what I mean!"

Their voices faded away into the darkness and I panted. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

But there it was again, that feeling that I was being watched.

"Hello?" I called out gingerly, straining my ears for any sign of life.

"So, I guess you're new," a bitter, high voice stated from somewhere to my left. I turned my head on instinct, trying desperately to commit that voice to memory.

"She certainly looks it," another voice, also bitter yet much more rough, pondered.

"Who're you?" I asked, struggling to come to a sitting position.

"Us? We're no one. Merely shadows of this underworld," that rough voice responded serenely.

"We're prisoners here. Who are you? How did you get to be so stupid as to end up here anyway?" said the high pitched one.

I paused then, unsure of what to tell them. I couldn't see so I wasn't to know if we were being watched. "Are there any guards around?" I murmured, as low as I could.

"No. They don't come in unless they… want one of us…" the high pitched voice answered.

"I'm a kunoichi. I'm here on a mission," I told them.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job if you're already caught." Rough voice again.

"No, no. You see, I was supposed to get caught to gather intelligence before we launch an ambush. Do you guys know anything about a man named Lord Juro? He's a council elder from the Hidden Sand?"

"No." Rough voice didn't seem to be taking a liking to me.

"Wait, I have! One of the men was talking about it the other day when they took me in for night pleasures. He's in his own private cell, they said. Apparently, they keep watch over that one all around the clock. They were talking about what a pain it is to guard him when he groans in pain so much after they beat him." That high voice again.

"Wait… what do you mean…" and I didn't want to finish off my question, "nighttime pleasures?"

I dredged a memory up, a memory of Temari's brief of the mission, something that seemed so far back in my mind, the memory itself was hazy.

_"They're using them for labor to farm the land, to cook, clean and… other things we're not quite sure of yet."_

The other things...

"What do you think it means, girl? Are you stupid?" the rough voice spat, venom dripping from her tone.

"No…" I whispered, the horror at what was happening to these women, the sympathy… and then the fear.

"That's right. They'll go right ahead and use your body to fulfill _their needs,_" there was that venom again, "until they're satisfied. They'll like you too. You hold yourself like a virgin."

"No," I repeated. "No, this can't happen. I-!" and then my voice dropped to a whisper. "I have a boyfriend who will be here any minute to kick some serious ass."

"Why don't you get yourself out of this mess? Who says you need a man?" the rough voiced girl drawled bitterly, as if blaming me for this situation.

"I would get myself out of this if my hands weren't tied behind my back and I wasn't _blindfolded_. I'm an Uchiha," I responded sharply, my voice growing cold. I didn't like to use my clan to prove a point but this girl was really getting on my nerves.

"An Uchiha? That clan from the Leaf village with the erm… what's it called again? The sharingan?" the high pitched voice questioned, her voice growing a little shrill. It was driving me crazy that I couldn't see, like I wasn't in control without the use of my sharingan. I was so used to it, so used to being able to crawl out of any situation with genjutsu or to interpret a person's movements that this was true torture. I hated it.

"That's right," I growled as I fidgeted with my hands, trying desperately to reach the rope wrapped tightly around them.

"Ohhh no," the high pitched voice said coldly. "If they found out what you are, they'll have a _field _day."

"Shhh!" I hissed. This relationship was starting off very sourly. I hadn't counted on being blindfolded. I hadn't even been able to see which way they'd taken me. Was it left, right, left, right, right, left they'd taken me or right, left, left, right, left? Why hadn't I been paying more attention instead of panicking?

_Dammit, Aimi. This is what is wrong with you. You have to _stop _letting your emotions get in the way of _everything. _Now you're lost. You couldn't even tell Gaara where to find you even if he found this place. _

"Sorry," I apologized in the direction of the voices. "I'm just a little tense. I'm trying to figure a way out of this, to save you both."

"Ahahaha!" the rough voice chuckled piercingly, the noise penetrating my eardrums and making me shiver. "Don't you think we haven't tried everything? It's no use. They'll use and abuse you as much as you like. We're just one of their toys held to ransom to be used in their kingdom."

"There must be a way…" I mused, listening intently for sounds. I could hear the dripping of water echoing somewhere as it splattered on a stone floor, the heavy breathing of my companions. And then, footsteps.

They grew louder and louder, my cellmates silent now in anticipation. This seemed to be a regular occurrence, these foreboding footsteps. I would've bet that between themselves they often wondered who was next to be called up in situations like this. But in this instance, we all knew it was for me.

In the back of my mind, I wondered where the other prisoners were. Were they in a separate cell, a separate wing?

_Damn this blindfold! I can't see a thing! _I cursed inwardly.

Suddenly, I heard a rusty key in the lock and the clang of the door being thrown open.

"You there! With the brown hair and the white top," a cruel voice ordered. Then, it dropped to such a malicious tone, laced with poisons and evils that my skin crawled. "We're ready for you now."

* * *

**Author's Note: So, the story takes a dark twist. What do you think these guys'll do to her? **

**Sorry I've been MIA for like a week, but I'm back now. I've got a long car journey tomorrow so hopefully I'll write another chapter by then. Expect updates to speed up now since I don't have much to do! :)**

**Also, I found out I'm going across the pond to AMERICA to DISNEYWORLD AND ORLANDO IN AUGUST WITH MY FAMILY. I'm too excited. I'm just a big kid. I will go on all the rides. By the way, does anyone know, has the Jaws ride closed down now?**

**Also, go read A Tango With Death by KiraChan44 after you have REVIEWED? :) **


	33. Chapter 33

_**DISCLAIMER - I do **_not _**own Naruto. **_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. **_

* * *

_Heroes are made when you make a choice._

_No one talks to him about how he lives,_

_He thinks that the choices he makes are just his._

_Doesn't know he's the leader with the way he behaves,_

_And others will follow the choices he's made._

_**- Superchick, Hero**_

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

I felt strong, cold arms lift me bridal style then, and there was something painfully sickening about that. I kept completely still, in juxtaposition to the racing of my mind.

_What can I do? _I thought frantically as the unknown stranger carried me through corridors, his heavy footfalls echoing off the stone walls. I made sure this time to keep tabs on the direction we were going. _Isn't there anything I can do? If they do… _and I didn't want to admit it to myself… _if they do, will they remove my blindfold? That's all I need. If they get rid of this blindfold, I can activate my sharingan. Screw the rules, screw my cover, I'll blow this joint apart. I'll kick some ass, save this bastard council elder and I'll be fine. No fucker is going to take me._

And they wouldn't. Because I wasn't about to let _anyone _except Gaara of the Desert have me like that.

Finally, I felt him come to a stop, the echo of his footsteps louder, more pronounced, as if we were in a large stone chamber. There was a heavy silence, too heavy. I could hear the soft murmurs of breathing and I knew there were other presences around.

"I brought her, Lord Akuji. This is the new one we found tonight," my captor announced, sounding extremely proud of himself, although I did not recognize his voice. He threw me into a heap onto a cold stone floor that felt damp beneath my bare knees.

"She is_ very _nice. Almost too nice… did Yuuto bring her in?" A piercing, grinding voice, like nails on a chalkboard, the kind of person's voice that you can't stand first thing in the morning when you're still groggy. That must've been Akuji. His voice came from only a few feet above me, so I presumed he was quite short.

"Yes, I did, sir." Yuuto's submissive voice came from somewhere over by my left. He must've been watching on the situation. "She was in the forest, drunk."

Then, the man named Akuji gasped. "Was she- was she alone?"

"She seemed to be…"

"_Was she __**definitely**__ alone?!" _Akuji yelled, his voice a ferocious weapon as he screamed at his subordinate, suddenly turning frantic. Yuuto paused.

_Uh oh. Busted. _I thought, stiffening all of my muscles.

"Don't you boys know who this is?! After all the training and intelligence we went through after we kidnapped Juro? YOU ARE USELESS!" Akuji's voice was a screech now and I could almost sense his servants and subordinates quivering in fear.

And then, I heard two short footsteps and a shallow breathing at my ear, the scent of stale cigarettes and body odor filling my nostrils.

"That blindfold is staying right on there, Uchiha. You won't get a chance to use those red eyes on me," Akuji whispered in my ear, chilling me right to my core. I shivered involuntarily and he chuckled.

"This, boys, is the jewel in the crown. Why, you ask? Because back in the Hidden Sand village, or possibly even closer, there happens a boy who can wield sand. His name is Gaara of the Desert. His father, the Fourth Kazekage sealed inside of him the One Tailed Demon tanuki, Shukaku, When the Sand and the Sound were ordered to infiltrate the Leaf and attack, this boy met a young girl from the famed Uchiha clan."

"The Uchiha clan?" I heard someone whisper.

"The ones with the sh-sharingan?"

"Aren't they all dead?"

"She and he began a relationship that to this day has become common gossip across the Five Great Nations since the summit of the Sand and Leaf was broadcast across the world. I myself watched it intently. It seems that these two villages have forgotten that using shinobi for both propaganda and espionage is a _bad _idea. And now, young Gaara is the lead candidate for the position of the Fifth Kazekage, his loyal_ girlfriend_ right by his side. This girl is renowned for her use of the sharingan, for her fire and lightning ninjutsu and her _inability to control her emotions. _And that girl's name is Aimi Uchiha, the jewel of the Leaf village, the last bastion of the Uchiha clan, run away to the Sand."

Then, the place erupted into hysterical laughter, roars and howls of amusement as they watched the "jewel of the Leaf village" on my knees in front of this man that I couldn't see.

"So you see, gentlemen. We will not be taking the blindfold off. We have been fooled, it _would _seem. These clowns didn't realize that we would've done a _lot _of digging and intelligence gathering before kidnapping a council elder. Didn't they think we'd be prepared?" Akuji declared to his followers before leaning down to me and hissing, "Where is your boyfriend now?"

"Fuck you," I spat, in his direction. And then, I felt a hand connect with my cheek and slap me straight across the face, sending me reeling with the full force of it and my head snapped back. I winced as the stinging began.

And then something else hit me. If I was less than fifty feet from Gaara, sand should've blocked the hit for me… He was far away, he wasn't here yet. I was on my own with this one for now.

"We can do much more with you than just rape you, Aimi Uchiha. You must be worth quite a lot of money. You may prove to be even more useful than that old man. I presume it was him of whom you were looking for?" he asked and I growled in frustration at the opaque black in front of my eyes and writhed, trying desperately to free myself. He chuckled and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Well-"

But he was cut off by a loud explosion behind me, the force of which sent a strong gust of wind in my direction.

"_About time, you guys_!" I screamed behind me.

Footsteps, three sets of them, padding along the stone floor. The whole room was silent as even Akuji mused over how these intruders had so easily penetrated his defenses.

"Take your hands off my girl." And that was a voice I knew all too well.

And then, a commotion, the sounds of a scuffle, of yells and a fight.

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

"Crow!"

"Go and get the prisoners! Evacuate!"

"No, _stay and fight_!_ I pay you to protect me_!"

All I could do was sit and growl, waiting to be attended to, otherwise I would just be in the way. At that moment, I felt a pair of soft hands in my hair, drifting to my neck and caressing the skin there, stopping at the tie of the blindfold and unfastening it.

I exhaled and looked around to see a dark, dank stone chamber, where a large makeshift throne was placed immediately in front of me, lording grandly over the whole room. I looked behind me to see a scuffle, Temari and Kankuro were fighting several dozen mercenary and doing so very well. I could see Yuuto's lifeless body slumped on the ground by her feet.

And then, I saw Gaara, his blood red hair and sea foam eyes the most beautiful treat to my eyes after being blind for a while. He gave me a small smile and my face broke into a grin, tears springing to my eyes.

"I don't think I've ever been more pleased to see you!" I choked and his smile only got wider, looking down, exhibiting his blackened eyelids as he unfastened the ties on my wrists.

"Are you okay?" he asked very seriously, the smile falling from his face as he surveyed me, his fingers skimming my arms, my collarbone, my neck and then my cheeks, causing blood to flood hotly to the surface of my skin. "They didn't hurt you or… touch you, did they?"

I shook my head, butterflies in my stomach at his touch. "No, you came just in time," I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck, intertwining my fingers in his soft, vibrant hair and inhaling his amber scent. _Home. _This was where my heart was set in stone. He hugged me right back, burying his head into my shoulder and holding me so tightly, I was sure I could break. My ribs ached and yet I only wanted him to hold me tighter. This mission had truly terrified me.

"I was so worried about you," Gaara breathed, uncharacteristically voicing his concern, his head still buried in my shoulder so I couldn't see his eyes, so I couldn't see the pain behind them. Maybe it was for the best, it would only hurt all the more to see what this had done to him.

"I'm okay, Gaara," I reassured him. It was odd that I was the one having been imprisoned for a while and I was reassuring him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I will never purposely put you in a position of danger ever again. I'll keep you safe. It's my duty."

"I trust you," I promised. He didn't realize that if he became Kazekage, there was no way he could keep his promise to me and that was okay for me. But it wouldn't be for him. He'd hate it but his _duty _would be to his village, to his position as leader of that village. It would be his job to give me a mission, send me on my way and wave good bye. It would be his job to send me out to go and protect his village, even if that meant sacrificing my life.

I wondered deep down if he was ready for it, if I was ready to become second best to the Sand village. It had never really entered my mind that there might be competition between us, that some days, he would have to put the village first, that I might have to share him with all of the citizens of the Sand.

"Guys!" Temari called, from over her shoulder as she swung her fan once more, launching another gust of wind at the bandits. "We could do with a little help here."

Gaara raised his head, his great mane of red hair crowning his striking features, his eyes exuding a hardened resolve. He held my gaze and I nodded, knowing what he was asking of me. We would do this together. I got to my feet rather shakily and stood by Gaara's side. A squeaking sound told me that Gaara had uncorked his gourd.

We stood side by side, angled towards the battlefield, Gaara's beige sand dancing around us. I could see a small, sharply dressed man with wisps of dirty blond hair cowering in fear on the far side of the room, two of cronies shielding him, stood side by side. That must have been Akuji.

I felt the determination solidify within me. Gaara and I were a team. In the field of battle, it didn't matter who was Leaf, who was Sand, who was from the Uchiha clan and had the Sharingan, who was about to become the Kazekage and was the host of a tailed beast, who was the man, who was the woman. We were just us.

"Let's do this," I stated darkly, clenching my fists.

Gaara gave the signal and I flew forward, sprinting into the fray of battle, a huge mass of sand going before me. I knew it was headed for Akuji and his henchman and I knew Gaara's plan – when the men moved to slash through the sand, it would leave them open to my attack.

I armed myself with a kunai in each hand and kept running, my eyes on the sand as it was slashed open, the open air spilling through the gap, revealing Akuji's henchman, arms outstretched, sword in hand.

_An opening, _I thought wryly, reaching them and watching the shock in their dark eyes as they saw me, only inches away, a kunai in both hands.

"Surprise!" I yelled cheerfully, plunging both knives in their two stomachs and grinning. "You don't simply _fuck _with us!"

The two men slumped to the floor and groaned, leaving their little boss quite open to attack, shielding his face with his arms. "Please!" he begged. "Please!"

I grunted and turned to where the major battle had been taking place, Kankuro and Temari battling only half a dozen bandits now. It was clear that this battle was over.

"Kankuro! Black Ant!" I shouted. He caught my eyes and threw a hand in my direction, his puppet leaping forward and capturing Akuji in its spindly arms, throwing him into the belly of its body and encasing him there, locking him in.

"Keep him in there. We can take him in for questioning," Gaara said quietly, his voice barely gracing over the sounds of the remaining scuffle, Temari taking to hand to hand combat with the final couple of men.

"I think we should keep this last guy," I suggested, stepping up and taking on the last guy with some simple taijutsu, punching him square in the jaw and then finishing him off with a roundhouse kick to his stomach, causing the bandit to groan loudly and fall to his knees. "We can use him to get information."

Gaara gestured outward and ties of sand wrapped around the bandit I had just defeated. Upon closer inspection, he was quite attractive, about our age with a shock of black hair on his head, a strong jaw and a slim nose, a face full of peace while he was passed out. He looked like once upon a time, he had been a nice boy.

Finally, the chamber descended into silence, apart from the moans of the defeated bandits and Akuji banging on the belly of Black Ant, yelling, "Let me out of here now, brats! I swear, if you don't let me out _right _now, there will be serious consequences!"

I exhaled heavily and hurried over to Temari, the anxiety in my belly boiling over, wrapping her up in a hug tightly.

"Woah, what's up?" she laughed, smiling at my sudden display of affection. I had needed to hug her, to allow to fear I had felt at the possibility of a sexual attack disperse from my body. And for that, I needed the love of the only person I'd ever considered a sister to me.

The look on Gaara's face was stern, furious as the dust settled on the situation. "We are never using Aimi as bait for _anything _ever again," he declared hotly, coming to my side and placing a hand on my shoulder, clutching desperately at the skin there, creating an animosity and a sexual tension so heavy, it was almost stifling.

"Gaara, you can't just say that! She's a kunoichi, this is her duty! You can't just-!" Kankuro started but he was cut off by his little brother.

"I can't risk her being killed or raped ever again. It is not an option," he stated, glaring coldly at his elder brother. "It is my dream to become the Kazekage and it is almost in sight now. If I achieve it, I can make sure Aimi is safe."

His words seemed so self-assured, so right, as if he truly believed that becoming Kazekage would give him the power to protect me. A large part of me swelled with pride, flooded with contentment. Gaara would protect me and we would be happy and safe.

But a small part of me whispered that this wasn't right, that whether I wanted it more than I wanted to be a kunoichi, it didn't matter. Because I would _have _to be a kunoichi, as I'd previously thought.

And at that moment, I saw a sad smile spread over his elder sister's face as she appraised her baby brother, intent on priding his love interest with all his might. She knew it too. Him becoming Kazekage may actually put me in _more _danger due to the fact he wouldn't be going on anymore missions with me. And how would he cope then?

How would _we _cope? How would we continue our relationship, him being the leader of the Sand and me a shinobi of the Leaf? The council would want him to be with one of their own, like Matsuri or Sari. They'd want someone more conservative, someone who perhaps wasn't a shinobi and wasn't war-hardened, someone who's clan wasn't famed for its bloody past.

"I'll be okay, Gaara. I can take care of myself," I told him, looking down at the damp stony floor, avoiding his gaze.

"I know you can. But I want to be the one to take care of you," he stated calmly, placing a finger under my chin and raising my face so my eyes met his. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

And I threw myself into his arms, so grateful, so happy, my armor of hardened resolve falling from my body. I loved that when _I _touched him, it wasn't his sand armor, it was his skin, the very essence of him that graced my fingers. I loved that I was in the arms of an actual human being who _wanted _to take care of me.

He embraced me like I was special, like I was oxygen. And it wasn't just that _someone _wanted me, it was that someone as magical, as ethereal as Gaara could need me that made me feel like I could soar across the skies.

No one had ever needed me, I'd always been disposable. But I was precious to Gaara and he, precious to I. We were a perfect match in that way.

He and I had fought tirelessly with _ourselves _and with each other, growing and challenging each other at every given step to become who we were today. And now he was about to achieve his dream – acknowledgement.

We were on the verge of glory.

It didn't matter that there would be obstacles to overcome, that there would be mountains to climb, that storm clouds were gathering as the wind called my man forth to lead the entire country.

We had each other.

We could protect one another and continue to flourish together.

"Let's go get this old guy then," Kankuro suggested, a smile in his voice as he watched our hug.

* * *

**Author's Note:** **Do you think Gaara becoming Kazekage will cause some problems for Gaara and Aimi?**

**So an update twice in two days? Do you want another one within the next few days? :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**_DISCLAIMER - I do _not _own Naruto. _****I even went down to a local lake and sat on the banks to write this. Likeaboss.**  


_****__Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. _

* * *

_They say I'm up and coming like I'm fucking in an elevator._

- _**Ed Sheeran, You Need Me, I Don't Need You**_

* * *

"Okay, I've injected that Akuji guy with a sedative inside Black Ant and sealed them both away. So that's taken care of," Kankuro declared, brushing his hands together as if to get rid of the dust. "So which way is it to Lord Juro?"

"I think the old man is this way," I guessed half-heartedly, pointing down the widest hallway I could see, brightly lit by cold lanterns hung stiffly on the stone walls.

From below us, I heard a low chuckle.

"Hmm? What's your problem, buddy?" I snarled down at the hostage we'd taken, the young man I'd fought earlier. "I don't really think you're in a position to be laughing, do you?"

He tried to disguise his laughter with a cough then, and responded, "You don't know what you're getting yourself in for. There's plenty more of us guarding that council elder and they're even better than we are here. Lord Akuji was just coming from the main chamber to check on _you_."

"Well then I bet he got a shock," Temari replied, smirking at him. I leaned down and gave him a huge grin, flashing my teeth at him.

He grunted and writhed against Gaara's sand ties.

"It's no use. You'll never get free of Gaara's sand. You're totally at his mercy. So either you co-operate, or we make this uncomfortable and painful for you," Kankuro supplied to the bandit at our feet, folding his arms and giving his younger brother a look full of admiration.

Our captive grunted and snarled. "I don't know anything, okay? I know as much as you."

I got onto my hands and knees then, Gaara taking a step toward me, hand outstretched as if to warn me of our captive's proximity to me. I shot him a reassuring look and leered back at the man we'd taken hostage. "Don't play games with us," I snarled in a low tone, activating my sharingan as we made eye contact. I cast a genjutsu upon him and placed him under a world of disorientating optical illusions and distorted images.

He began to whimper and groan and I released him from it just as quickly as I had cast it, deactivating my sharingan and barking, "Now, talk! Which way is it?!"

"The way you said," he mumbled, looking slightly green.

"Now, wouldn't that have been easier if you'd have just answered like that in the first place?" I sighed, getting to my feet.

Gaara raised his hand nimbly, levitating our hostage friend four feet into the air. He continued to struggle to no avail against his ties. Gaara paid him no mind; he kept his eyes on me, as if at any moment I might fade away into reality. Had the thought of me being raped really scared him that badly?

"Come on then," Gaara beckoned, heading down the corridor. We followed and I began devising tactics in my mind.

_Use a shadow clone as a diversion and go get the old man myself? Or use the shadow clone to get him? Could I use the lightning fire tornado? Madara's Fury would be way too much before we have him. But what about that fire tsunami I learned on the way here? Would I need Shiga?_

But at that moment, I felt a hand on mine. I looked over to meet Gaara's gaze, a kind look in his eyes.

"Remember what we've been training for," he reminded me, giving me a pointed look, raising an eyebrow.

I knew what he was saying. We'd been working towards being a team for so long. We had to trust each other.

Every step we took along the hallway resounded, the echo warning us to go back. But we were shinobi and we had a duty to serve, to retrieve this Lord. I had chosen this life, regardless of being born into it; it was never forced upon me. I trusted my comrades.

Suddenly, our hostage began to yell. "Guys! Guys! It's me! Intruders! It's that Uchiha g-!" But he was cut off by Gaara's sand covering his mouth, causing him to squeal like a pig and yelp against his restraints.

"Dammit!" I cursed, freezing and taking a step backwards instinctively. Gaara reached out for me and Kankuro placed himself in front of Temari and myself, ready for the onslaught.

But we could hear no sound, albeit for our heavy breathing and our hostage's squeals of protests.

"I should've covered his mouth earlier," Gaara muttered quietly, his brow furrowing, eyes trained into the darkening corridor, awaiting attack.

"It doesn't matter now. We were gonna have to deal with these clowns either way," I soothed, waiting with bated breath.

Nothing came.

"Okay, let's keep moving," Gaara instructed, taking the lead. I'd always seen him as the leader of the Sand Siblings trio, regardless of him being the youngest but the possibility of him becoming the Kazekage gave him a little leverage to take charge.

"Any suggestions, Gaara?" I whispered, knowing from the dimensions of the compound on the outside that we couldn't be far away now.

"Instinct," was all he said, his sand streaming out around the pair of us, dancing around me particularly.

Suddenly, a light appeared at the end of the hallway and the passage fell away to a huge chamber, much larger than the one we had previously been in. The sheer size of it took my breath away. At the far side of the room, in a raised metal cage, like an animal, was _Lord _Juro.

He was slumped against the bars, dirt and bruises spattered across his face, dried blood caked on his robes. One of his eyes was purple and swollen. He looked unrecognizable.

But the worst part about this situation was not the state of Lord Juro. It was the couple of hundred men standing between us and him, all armed, all wearing expressions of malice and hunger, angled our way.

"So they _did _hear our little friend," Kankuro surmised, grimacing.

And with that, the couple of hundred men ran at us screaming battle cries, cursing us, swearing promises of death and demise and all things in between.

I activated my sharingan and Gaara and I leapt into action, repeating the same move as before, whereby his sand attacked first, acting as a decoy and I flew in behind and landed the final blow, taking down two or three bandits. I could see his signals in the corner of my eye, Gaara taking care of my blind spot as I roundhouse kicked and knocked out a bandit directly behind me. His sand covered me, leaping to my defence automatically.

In my periphery vision, I could see Kankuro and Temari battling ferociously too, gusts of winds and flailing limbs scattered about the place as screams of pain and of anger filled the huge chamber.

"Lightning Fire Tornado!" I yelled, flooding the chamber with a furious blazing twister, dissipating it before it headed in Temari's direction and met up with her own cyclone. _That _could've been messy.

I glanced behind me to check on Gaara, safe in the knowledge that his sand was still in action. He was fine, capturing and crushing dozens of bandits as if it were nothing.

I made a hand sign and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu," watching as a clone of me appeared, white tank top, short skirt and dark hair. I cringed a little, glancing at the imperfections.

"Go get that Juro guy. I expect you to break the lock on his cage by focusing all of your chakra into your fist. I'd save up for Sage Mode but I don't really think we have time," I instructed. The clone of me nodded and she scuttled off, dodging easily the clumsy and inexperienced attacks of the bandits, headed for _Lord_ Juro.

I continued fighting, watching for Gaara's signals and receiving none. He was leaving this up to me. I cast genjutsu on most of them, taking them down while they were under illusion with taijutsu or burning them where they stood with a fireball jutsu.

I kept moving backwards until I was back to back with Gaara, the feel of his shoulder blades above mine reassuring in some peculiar way.

"How many did you take down?" he asked, his voice totally steady.

"I don't know. Like, thirty? It's really hard not to hit you guys as well," I admitted, a little frustrated and out of breath, aiming shuriken at a bearded man charging at me. "You?"

"Thirty four," he replied as I threw my shuriken and made contact with the common carotid artery in my bearded attacker's neck, killing him. "Nice shot. Where's your clone?"

"She needs your sand to carry him. He's conscious but he's a total mess," I responded, arming myself and swinging around his body suddenly, kneeling down. I hurled three kunai from between the gaps in my finger at three more pursuers headed for us.

Gaara's sand headed over our heads.

"That's more sand over there that's not here to protect you, Aimi," he warned.

I nodded sharply. I was secondary protection to the sand.

"I've got an idea," he declared, reaching under my arms and pulling me to feet. His hands splayed out across his waist, protectively, the sand that automatically protected him taking me into account also. "I'll take it from here."

He lifted out both his hands and bent his index fingers. I watched incredulously as two discs of sand appeared. He flicked his fingers in Temari and Kankuro's direction and they flew off to their aid, bandits still attempting to attack us. Kunai knives were stopped merely inches from our faces, halted only by Gaara's sand, amidst roars and shouts from the bandits.

It was pure chaos.

"What happens now?" I asked, watching as Gaara's sand snaked along the floor and captured the feet of many bandits, crushing them, curling up their bodies.

He didn't respond.

At that moment, I spotted my clone on a disc of sand hovering over the bandits, carrying a badly beaten up _Lord_ Juro.

"Stay up there," Gaara told her in a low voice, steadying me as I moved to retrieve Juro. He leaned down then and murmured, "Trust me," in my ear.

I bit my lip and watched as two more discs of sand carrying Gaara's brother and sister appeared over our heads, in amongst the chaos, as bandits rushed towards us, hurling yet _more_ weapons at us, trying desperately to get through Gaara's sand.

"Hey, what's this all about? I was kicking ass!" Kankuro yelled, still barely audible over the profanities and shouts.

"Shut up, you!" I shouted back. "What's the plan, Gaara?"

I wasn't sure he'd heard me; the noise of the remaining bandits was deafening. But I felt the taps on my hand.

Back to back.

Fire.

And then the same hand signals for Sand Tsunami?

And then I got it.

I went behind him and lined my shoulder blades up as they were before, exhaling heavily. In that moment, it felt as if the world stood still.

Temari and Kankuro's shouts about me were drowned out by the animalistic roars of the bandits, their angry faces half obscured by the fluttering of the sand as it raced up and down to block the bandits' weapons and nails and limbs as they desperately tried to attack, forgetting that their only leverage now lay above the ground on a disc of sand.

_He_ shouted it at the exact moment that I did.

"SAND TSUNAMI!"

"FIRE TSUNAMI!"

Before me, a huge wall of fire blazed towards the ceiling and the roars became screams. I turned to see a huge wave of sand creating the same effect behind me. I clutched behind me for Gaara's hands and found them, warm and large as always.

The great tsunamis of fire and sand collapsed within moments of each other to the sounds of piercing screams, criminals begging for mercy in their final moments.

At that moment, I felt Gaara let go of my hands and bend down. I turned to watch his movements. He grimaced and barked, "Giant sand burial!" His features scrunched up as his sand turned a blood red in patches, several limbs sticking out at awkward angles almost comically.

He hated killing now, especially when it was unnecessary. But this had been necessary.

"All quiet on my end," I commented simply, my sharingan checking for any signs of life inside the remains of the blazing inferno.

"Me too," Gaara agreed. I sighed then and turned to him as he got to his feet, allowing him to sweep me up into a hug, wrapping his arms around me. I inhaled, taking in his scent, touched every part of his sand armor, willing it to come away, and it did, leaving me with his skin.

And then I touched that soft skin, untarnished by barely anything except a tiny scar on his right collarbone from my brother's Chidori. No other attacks on him had ever left a mark, not even the ones Naruto had landed upon him during their fight in the forest. They'd all healed up perfectly. This was mostly due to his sand armor, but even those when he'd been without it, like his battle with Naruto, hadn't left their mark upon him.

But not this one. This mark, left by an Uchiha, had scarred his fair skin forever.

"You guys were _awesome_!" Kankuro cheered, punching the air with his fist. My clone "poofed" away and Temari grinned as I pulled away from Gaara.

"Yeah, you were so great! Worthy of a Kazekage!" Temari declared, leaping from her sand disc onto her huge tessen, floating down to the ground, where she dismounted and enveloped Gaara in a hug from behind. He gave a small, sheepish smile in my direction.

"The question is, what do we do about this guy?" Kankuro questioning, pointing to the council elder on the sand disc adjacent to his own.

* * *

The sun was rising over the emerald trees, glistening down through the gaps in the dainty leaves and allowing its golden rays to glitter on the ground we had taken camp by. I could hear the sounds of Kankuro's brazen snores, the birds singing sweetly to one another, signalling the sound of morning, of no danger of a beautiful, cheerful world.

I was sat on the grass in the easy sunshine and I yawned heavily, feeling tears prick at the edge of my gaze as I held a cube of ice, clothed in a snow white towel to Juro's eye, trying to bring down the swelling. I slouched over and groaned, sighing deeply, fatigue slithering into the crevices of my body. I'd been placed on night duty with Gaara and Lord knows I was a little better with hospitality than Temari so I'd been placed in position as "nurse".

"You're very gentle," Juro commented quietly, not quite meeting my eye. Things were still awkward between us all. He'd been particularly warm with Gaara who had been cordial and courteous in response. "You're very logical too, it seems, when it comes to healing these wounds of mine, even without medical ninjutsu. You'd make an excellent medical ninja."

I chuckled. "Not really," I denied, beaming at the compliment and taking back the ice to check on the state of his eye. "I hate blood. Gaara'll tell you. I can't stand stuff like that."

"She's too impatient to become a medical ninja," Gaara added from his position nearby, leaning on his gourd, while had been placed against the bark of a large oak tree. "And when she's emotionally involved with something, she's neither gentle nor logical."

"Hey!" I protested, throwing the towel clad ice at him, his sand automatically leaping up to protect him and knocking it aside.

It was Juro's turn to chuckle then. His expression suddenly turned quite serious, however. "Listen, I have an apology that I need to make to you both."

Gaara and I kept quiet, waiting. Both of us clearly felt it was due.

"I have doubted you both individually and simultaneously. But this experience has taught me who I am; it has brought me down to Earth. And I think it was a sign that it was you two who were supposed to be the ones to rescue me. I have never seen a pair of shinobi work as effortlessly together as you two did. It was seamless, flawless, in fact," and his voice raised a pitch, his hand rising in the air, like a bird ready to take flight in the passion of his words. Was it really all that? To Gaara and me, it was just _us_. "And I am sorry I ever doubted you. I know now that not only are you excellent shinobi but you are both good people. And you Gaara, are well and truly worthy and deserving of becoming the Sand's next Kazekage."

I looked over to see Gaara's eyes forward, meeting Juro's gaze steadily with a small, easy smile. The rays of the sun gracing the Earth around him made him look majestic as his mane of red hair crowned his glorious face.

"Thank you," he said firmly, nodding in respect.

"And you'll stay by his side, I trust?" Juro questioned, turning to me with a wide smile, much like a grandfather smiles nostalgically towards his granddaughter.

I nodded sharply. "Absolutely."

"It seems growing old doesn't always make you wise. Sometimes you young ones already hold a thousand years of wisdom in your young bones," he commented, his eyes on Gaara, who was getting to his feet. He walked towards us leisurely and sat back down by my side as I pulled out a clean towel from the first aid kit we'd brought along and doused it in mineral water, dabbing at a relatively deep wound Juro seemed to have sustained on his right forearm.

I looked up to see Juro's eyes, not on me, but on Gaara, sat next to me. I turned to look at what he found so interesting in Gaara's face and found Gaara's eyes intently on mine, blazing in their intensity as he stared at me with hungry eyes, as if he had to soak up every inch of me with his sea foam eyes, like every color, every shadow had to be studied closely.

Lord Juro chuckled then and Gaara and I turned to him. "That's quite even dabbing for now, my dear," he told me and I blushed, grinning sheepishly, knowing he was teasing me. Then, he turned to Gaara and his expression fell away into a much more serious one once again. "When we return to the village, I expect we will begin preparations for your ascendance to position as Kazekage. Of course, we'll need to debate, discuss and vote on it as a council and that could take a while but you're the prime and only candidate. It only seems right that you begin it now."

Gaara nodded seriously and I reached out for his hand instinctively to steady myself. Things were about to change big time and I needed him to steady me and bring me back down to earth. I found it, I found his hand, long, slender fingers, palms free of callouses and it was like an embrace.

"Of course, your brother and sister will be promoted to the council of advisors. Your sister has great diplomacy skills that could be utilized and your brother would make an excellent commander. Can you think of any other things-?"

But he was cut off by Gaara stating, "They must be made my bodyguards. Mine and Aimi's bodyguards. And any meetings I go to, I want Aimi there, as my bodyguard or romantic consort, whatever you want to call it. All three of them must be with me."

Juro grimaced visibly. Obviously, this wasn't going to be accomplished easily. "That's not going to be so easy if you're unmarried and she's still a shinobi of the Leaf…"

"I want Aimi there," Gaara repeated simply.

* * *

We returned to the Hidden Sand village the next morning after we had rested up to great cheers. Villagers lined the streets, bakers outside the bakery, chefs outside restaurants, shinobi outside the jonin council room all supposedly cheering for the return of their chief council elder. However, to my great delight, most of them were cheering Gaara's name, stopping him to thank him for retrieving Lord Juro.

"You'd think we had nothing to do with it, right?" I grumbled testily, as one young lady batted her eyelashes at my man and held out a rose for him which he politely declined.

"Don't sweat it," Kankuro told me, ruffling my hair very condescendingly and smirking at me.

"Yeah, Gaara's gonna be the Kazekage soon. And he _did _do a lot. Remember, you're still a Leaf shinobi _and _you're competition for Gaara's consort until they assign you a publicist to manage your public appearance," Temari replied simply as if it was nothing.

My head, however, was swimming. "Publicist, public appearance, what're you talking about? _Consort_?! Like as in _marriage_? Why does everyone keep mentioning marriage? Just because he becomes Kazekage doesn't mean we have to get married, does it? Since when did this get all political?"

"Since your boyfriend became the Kazekage, effectively the head politician of the Sand village, idiot," Kankuro responded, rolling his eyes at me as we watched Gaara kneel down to a sick shy child in front of the hospital, clutching a stuffed animal. He looked to be in deep conversation with the child, yet the little girl was smiling serenely, as if recalling a happy memory.

I stuck my tongue out at Kankuro. "I don't have to marry him and I'm not marrying him yet."

"_Yet_? So you would marry him eventually?" Temari teased, nudging me and smirking as the child Gaara was conversing with suddenly leapt forwards into his arms and she wrapped her arms around him, burying her little braided blonde hair into his shoulder.

Watching him acting so paternal stirred something inside of me and it took me a few moments to respond.

"Yes," I answered, watching Gaara lift the little girl up in his strong arms, a smile gracing his full lips. My stomach swelled watching and I suddenly felt much older than my years, feelings that I'd never felt before. "Yes, I would."

The parade, of sorts, continued for a few hours, everyone seemingly wanting to stop and chat with the future Kazekage, to congratulate him or to suggest ways in which to improve the legislative system. A few even stopped me to wish me well. One lady I remember particularly well. Gaara was just behind me, talking to a family a few people back when she did.

"Are you… Aimi- Aimi Uchiha?" she asked timidly, even though she was clearly much older than I was, middle aged and possibly a home maker from the looks of her outfit, an apron over a conservative ankle length brown skirt and a gray blouse.

"I am, m'am," I answered, bowing a little out of respect.

"I just wanted to say that I re-respect you for coming all this… this way… from the Leaf and standing by Lord Gaara… giving up the Leaf… for Lord Gaara… You must really have fallen in love with the Sand," she said, the wrinkles around her eyes becoming more pronounced as she smiled.

"Oh no, I-" But I was interrupted and cut off, as Baki caught my elbow and dragged me away, muttering about meeting with the council elders.

"They need to see Gaara, Kankuro, Temari and you as soon as possible. You can't stop and talk to absolutely everyone, Aimi. That's Gaara's job," he hissed. I stuck my tongue out at him and ripped my arm out of his grasp, skipping over to an elderly couple by a water fountain and being pleasantly surprised to find that they supported Gaara, since they found great tradition in the title of Kazekage being passed from father to son.

But I couldn't escape what that woman had said to me about giving up the Leaf… had I? I had thought of it as more like a hiatus. I had worried about how Gaara would feel sending me off on missions as Kazekage. But never once did it enter my mind that if I stayed with Gaara, that I would be tied to him, tied _under _him, as his "consort" for the _rest _of my life. I would _have _to give up the Leaf, how could I be a shinobi of the Leaf and be with the Kazekage? How would I earn the Sand villagers trust that way? Were there already rumors going around?

Gaara and I hadn't even discussed it. But we certainly would be doing. We'd have to.

But one thing was for sure. I wasn't about to be anybody's understudy and I certainly did not want to stop being a Leaf shinobi. And he wasn't about to give up on the people of this village or the title of Kazekage. So what would we do?

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think they'll do? After all, how can she be a shinobi of the Leaf and be his girlfriend? Do you think she **_**could**_**give up the Leaf? **

**Would you like a 3000 word update this weekend or a 6000 word update next weekend? **

**I'm so excited about the next chapter. It's all planned out and it's going to be EPIC.**


	35. Chapter 35

_**DISCLAIMER - I do **_not _**own Naruto. **_**_I wrote this whole chapter to Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, Beauty and the Beast and Can You Feel the Love Tonight? All the feels._**

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. **_

* * *

_Last born of the clan,_

_First one to be free._

_**Jonathan Low - Vampire Weekend**_

* * *

We entered the Kazekage building to rapturous applause from the crowds. We were shepherded inside by several Sand ANBU members, Gaara's hand placed gently on the small of my back.

"Now, this way, if you please, Lord Gaara, Miss Aimi," a council elder whose name I had yet to learn, with a sharp dark beard and equally sharp eyes, beckoned.

Miss Aimi? I questioned internally, doing a double take at the address. I was not yet used to being treated with such respect. I was of no more value than any other chunin in any other land, in my own eyes.

We were led up to the council meeting room, where the Kazekage statues watched over proceedings, each with identical stern expressions on their stone faces. I noticed that four chairs had been added to the table, one larger than all of the rest of them was clearly meant for Gaara when he ascended to position of Kazekage.

The council elders were already assembled aside from the one who had accompanied us upstairs and Baki. They took their seats momentarily as Temari, Gaara, Kankuro and I stood to respectful attention.

At that moment, Baki rose to his feet once again and bowed deeply to us, to Gaara particularly, whose eyes widened. "You do not stand out of respect to us any longer, Lord Gaara," he murmured. "We must stand out of respect to you."

A reverent silence fell upon the room at that moment as all of the council elders rose too and bowed.

Gaara's expression was dumbfounded; sea foam eyes wide as he took in the sight of the very men who had for so long condemned his existence, bowing out of respect to him.

"Take a seat, Lord Gaara," the council elder we knew to be named Shou offered, gesturing to the large seat that seemed to command the very room. He then gestured to the rest of us and said, "And you, you three."

I headed for the spare seat by Gaara's left hand side and sat down, Kankuro for the right and Temari immediately opposite him.

One seat, a couple of chairs around from me, was empty, usually occupied by Lord Juro. He had been taken to the Sand village hospital after spending only a few moments relaying his thoughts to the elders and officials here and it seemed Lord Shou had taken his place as chairman of this particular meeting.

I lifted my knees to my chin and placed my feet on the edge of the chair, receiving disdainful looks from several of the elders. The truth was, I was already a little bored with this meeting and it hadn't even started yet. I didn't like anything that could end in bureaucracy.

Lord Shou cleared his throat. "This meeting was called in order to address several matters with regards to Lord Gaara's possible ascendancy to position as Kazekage-"

"_Which_ we still have to discuss further," one shriveled old counselor interrupted pointedly.

_So _he _was the awkward one_, I thought wryly. _Probably still set in his ways and seeing Gaara as a monster. He's barely recognizable as a human himself, he's so shriveled._

"That we will. But since we have a majority vote, the... minority opposition will be veto'd regardless within six months' time. The Sand needs a leader and every single person apart from _one_ at this table believes that the most suitable person is Lord Gaara." Shou nodded at Gaara then, who nodded back respectfully.

I tried to picture him for a moment how he'd been when we'd met in comparison to how he was now. He had gone through a huge growth spurt these past few months, now almost the same size as Kankuro in height. He was less stocky too, leaner, yet more muscular due to the regular training we'd done when we were dancing. His blood red hair was growing too, now covering his ears and his eyes seemed to glow with contentment.

As striking as Gaara had been when we'd met, I liked him much more this way.

He caught me staring at that moment and shot me a small, private smile, a smile that questioned whether or not I was okay whilst simultaneously letting me know that he was too.

I grinned at him. Had I changed much? My hair had grown a little, my outfit had changed. But other than that, I felt no different. I was still goofy, still a little insecure and emotionally volatile, still impatient and I still sneaked a peek at Gaara's body when he was just wearing his mesh undershirt.

Who was I kidding? I sneaked a peek at Gaara's body all the time.

"Anyway, the first item on the agenda is, of course, explaining to you, Gaara, what is required of a Kazekage."

_Yeah, yeah, we all know what's required. You get a really big hat, you boss people around and you try not to let Orochimaru or the Akatsuki kick your ass. We get it_, I whined internally, massaging my temples impatiently. I really wasn't cut out for this.

"Let us try it this way. Gaara, what do _you _think is required of a Kazekage?" Shou asked.

"My first and primary duty is to the people of this village, to protect them with all of my might. I must care for and connect with them as if they were my own family. My second is to forge a bond with other Allied nations, to create lasting diplomatic relations via foreign policy to ensure stable imports and exports of resources and protection for citizens of this village and for the rest of the world. This ties into my third duty, which is dealing with external forces such as the Akatsuki and Orochimaru, of which I will be aided by the ANBU who will work directly under me. I will work hard. I have worked hard and I will continue to work hard as the Fifth Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand," Gaara stated, his deep, clear voice reverberating around the room poignantly.

_Well, sure, that too,_ I thought sarcastically, smirking to myself at my own idiocy.

The sense of awe in the room was palpable.

It was inarguable. Gaara was made for this job. He knew exactly what he was doing and exactly how to do it, there was no question.

Shou cleared his throat again and chuckled. "I defy _anyone_," he declared pointedly, "who says that this boy is too young or ignorant to become the Kazekage." his gaze sweeping around the room, pausing at the old shriveled guy. I was beginning to like Shou more and more as this meeting went by.

"Your other duties will be sitting in on mission allocations, general checkups with the forces, meetings with feudal lords, Kages and other officials, that sort of thing. Be prepared for a _lot_ of paperwork, every mission dossier must be signed by you. Of course, you must be present at the Chunin exams, any applications for jonin must be handled by you and, well, you already understand that the ANBU are directly under you. You must be present at every meeting held by the council elders and there will be general Kazekage visits that you will make around the village. It is your duty to get to know every shinobi, every citizen in this village."

Gaara nodded sincerely, as if he'd been doing this his whole life, as if he already _knew_ what Lord Shou was about to say and it was being taken care of.

It was well... sexy.

I perked up then, observing him and placed my feet back on the ground, watching how he commanded the room with his presence, his silent finesse.

"Now then," Lord Shou continued, with a friendly smile in my direction.

_Uh oh,_ I thought darkly. _I don't like where this is going._

"The next item on the agenda is... well, I'm just going to be up front with you. You seem that type of girl."

_What's that supposed to mean?_ I thought irritably, brow furrowing, jaw locked as he continued.

"We need you to undergo a thorough medical examination, Miss Aimi," Shou said.

"You need me to undergo a what now?" I asked sardonically, cocking my head and raising an eyebrow. I _really _didn't like where this is headed.

"A thorough medical examination," he repeated with owlish eyes, as if I was a simpleton. "It's just a precaution. We need your measurements on record, your medical records on file, your blood pressure, any inconsistencies or flaws, that sort of thing, you-"

But he was cut off.

"Flaws? What do you mean by _flaws _exactly, _Sir_? Where is this headed?" I asked, cocking my head once again, knowing that my hazel eyes were flashing, boring into his face as I stared at him.

A suffocating blanket of silence fell upon the room, as if everyone knew something I did not but the oxygen had been stolen from their lungs, preventing them from explaining.

"Okay, who's going to be honest with me?" I questioned loudly, as if it were a great announcement, throwing my arms in the air theatrically and allowing them to slam onto the great table before me, staring down every single elder, Temari, Kankuro, Shou.

"Man, she's as scary as you sometimes, Temari," Kankuro commented wryly from two seats around the table, yet his eyes were fond as he appraised me. I shot him a dark look in response, letting him know I wouldn't stand for being teased right now.

"Well?!" My voice rose an octave in hysteria then as I searched each elder's face for a response and found none.

"I'll go," Temari offered, leaning forwards. How did she know? "Aimi, Gaara... we are the Fourth Kazekage's children and Gaara is a very strong shinobi, as are you. If you two... stay together... which is evidently what these council elders are hoping for, then the likelihood would be that your child would succeed Gaara as the next Kazekage."

The reality of it hit me like a bullet in the back. I froze, staring at nothing in particular as I realized that my life, my future had just been mapped out for me, intricately designed by the people in this room.

A child. A child by myself and Gaara. A small bump.

"She's going to kill us all," Kankuro warned teasingly. I could see him grinning at his little brother out of the corner of my eye. But Gaara was not looking at Kankuro, he was looking at me, as was everyone else in the room.

It'd have his shock of blood red hair, of course, and maybe those striking tanuki markings on its eyelids. But would it have my eyes? Or Gaara's sea foam? Would it wield sand too like its dad?

Dad.

Gaara a father?

I felt overwhelmed, like the sand tsunami from those two days ago in the bandit's compound was collapsing on me and it was beautiful and terrifying and suffocating.

Gaara would make an incredible father, the best in the business. He'd be affectionate when he needed to be but only when it was necessary, but he'd have the silent discipline down. Sure, he'd be busy and he wouldn't be able to do much of the fun stuff all the time but I could see him doing the night feeds and teaching the kids how to throw their shuriken properly. He would put _everything _into the things that mattered, even when others would've claimed they had nothing left to give.

We'd complement each other perfectly because I'd be affectionate all the time, I'd be able to be there and do all the fun stuff, like making dumplings and getting rice flour all over the kitchen floor. I wouldn't be able to handle disciplining them when we found empty sake bottles in the back of their closets but Gaara could do that. He was good with discipline, a born leader.

But this was all way into the future. It wasn't for now. And here I was fantasizing about a teenage son with sake.

"Miss Aimi? Miss Aimi?"

I drifted back down to Earth then, snapping out of my daze and shaking my head.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking at my clasped hands on the desk.

"Are you okay?" Gaara murmured from beside me, reaching out for my hand. I took it and squeezed to reassure him. He didn't understand the overwhelming joy, the paralyzing terror I was experiencing at the thought of our beautiful, intricate future.

Who knew I was so... traditional?

"Miss Aimi? Are you alright?" Shou queried, giving me a concerned look and smiling at me kindly.

"I'm fine. It's just... this whole child thing... me having Gaara's baby... us h-having a baby," I shocked myself a little at my stammer since I rarely stammered. I was unable to meet Gaara's eye. This definitely came under one of the most awkward conversations of all time. "It wouldn't be immediately, right? We're talking at least five years down the line or something? And after marriage, right? I mean, we don't even share a room."

"No, it would not have to be immediately. Of course, it's ultimately up to you both, just as the results are of the medical. One of the other aims of the medical is to find out if you're fertile or not. If you're not, it is still ultimately up to you and Gaara what you choose to do," Shou explained.

I nodded and made a noise of appreciation but a small part of me couldn't help feeling disgruntled, like if I was infertile, that it somehow undermined our relationship. I chose to ignore it; we would cross that bridge when we came to it. Gaara and I certainly weren't interested in children right now.

I finally caught Gaara's eye then and blushed at the majestic look of pride on his face as he gazed at me, our hands still intertwined.

"With regards to you sharing a room, however, that will be arranged," Shou continued and I turned to look at him. "You four will be moving into the Kazekage apartment in the Kazekage building within the next few months. That will be your permanent residence while Gaara is Kazekage of the Sand. The two of you will share a bedroom."

The four of us nodded and my heart fluttered at the thought of us sharing a bed every night, making memories bathed in the moonlight.

Shou cleared his throat again. "The next item on the list is the role of publicity."

"Publicity? What kind of publicity?" Temari asked incredulously.

"Well, you see, since Aimi is not a citizen of the Sand, we were a little worried that the citizens and shinobi of the village wouldn't take to her relations with Lord Gaara, so we have been generating a little publicity here and there through Teisuka Akiyama and her people. We had some quick feedback, however. It seems the public opinion of you, Miss Aimi, is generally pretty well off. We've latched on to something they're calling you down on the West Boulevard already."

"Really? What's that?" I asked, perking up.

"The Kazekage bride."

"Woah, totally cool!" I shouted, grinning.

"Totally dumb," Kankuro grumbled, folding his arms.

"Wait, they don't actually think me and Gaara are getting married yet though, right?" I inquired.

"Oh no... not... right now. They think within the next year or so it might become a possibility. But it's your decision, of course. It's more about the marital coupling of the partnership you already share, your position as the feminine counterpart to our future Kazekage," Shou expanded, gesturing with his hands to explain things to me.

"That sounds so cool," I remarked, relishing in the nickname.

"Yes, well... _cool_ or not... that will be your, shall we say, public handle?" Shou told us, placing his clipboard down on the table and surveying us with those sensible, kind eyes, full of wisdom and empathy. "And the final thing on the agenda is to discussion the future status of Lady Temari and Lord Kankuro."

We stayed silent, waiting for their verdict. Had Lord Juro managed to pass his message on to the other elders before he was sent to the hospital?

Shou rose to his feet then. "Now, I move to appoint Lord Kankuro and Lady Temari as jonin and Lady Temari as an ambassador for the Village Hidden in the Sand. Both are skilled shinobi and Lady Temari is an excellent communicator and a shrewd negotiator."

It did not escape my notice that it was taking all of Temari's effort to stop herself from grinning ear to ear at the comment. She would make an excellent ambassador indeed. She had managed to keep Gaara from murdering Kankuro and herself for thirteen years in close quarters, even through those years when he'd been at his most dangerous, she'd managed it. I wondered if they knew sometimes how much of a rock she was to their family, to our family.

Baki rose to his feet almost immediately. "I second the motion. I have been their sensei for a long time, I know them both very well and I know that they, and Gaara, will be a great asset to our village."

"Wonderful," Shou commented cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Now then, shall we put it to a vote?"

They went around the table and to my surprise, every single council elder agreed to make both Kankuro and Temari jonin and Temari an ambassador.

"Of course, she will need extensive training beforehand, as will Gaara, before they take up such esteemed positions," the shriveled guy remarked coldly after he reluctantly voted, "yes."

Shou waved his hand dismissively. "Don't you worry, Yasushi. We are quite lucky in that sense. The new feudal lord has recently been elected and as such, he has a meeting with the feudal lord of the Land of Fire in a few weeks. His people have requested an elite squad to escort him there personally and I believe it will be an excellent chance for the future Kazekage to meet with and get to know the new feudal lord and for the future ambassador of the Sand to get to know the feudal lord of this country and of the Land of Fire since we do so much trade with them. Also, I think Aimi may as well go with them. After all, after this little escapade," and Shou gestured to Gaara and myself, "I presume the Leaf will be recalling Aimi anyway for her six month review and speaking to her about her _own _status." And he gave each member of the council a very pointed look then that I did not quite understand.

"Have we already sent a request to the Leaf for Miss Aimi's medical records?" inquired the elder I recognized with the sharp cruel eyes, like a fox.

"Yes, Yura. We sent a request off just before this meeting with Takamaru. There's no telling that they'll send them over but Lady Tsunade is always accommodating and I'm sure she'll understand if she appreciates what it is in aid of."

I pulled a face discreetly in Temari's direction across the table, sneering at her. I could see her fighting off a smile, covering her face with her hand to stop herself from snorting aloud.

I was sick of them being so excited about the prospect of Gaara and myself getting married or having a child. If I had anything to do with it, which I was hoping I did, marriage and kids were not as close as these people seemed to think. I didn't want to be that girl who was forced into a marriage of convenience and forced to produce an heir so this country could have its next heir, programed already with its own Sharingan.

The Sharingan.

My head shot up.

That was it. Is that what they wanted? Is that why they'd become so accommodating recently? Did they want my dojutsu?

A child with not only the power to wield sand but all the quantity and quality of chakra that the Uchiha clan were blessed with, the Sagedom – if it was a girl- that the women were blessed with and the Sharingan.

The dying remnants of one of the Leaf's noble clans reborn into the Sand village right into a lineage that was almost considered _royal _here, with shocking red hair and the same shocking red eyes.

I almost felt physically sick.

"Will they give full access to us to look at the-?" one of the other elders asked, a timid man with a murine face asked, trailing off as he caught my eye, pointing at my face. He looked down at his hands and mumbled, "at the Sharingan."

"Don't you think it should be _me _that is giving you the _permission _to look at my kekkai genkai?" I snapped, flipping my hair behind my shoulder and giving the man a very poisonous look. "The history books that are spattered with my family's blood may belong to the Leaf village but my Sharingan belongs to _me_."

Silence descended upon the room again, like a thick smog of toxic gas. Obviously, the elders and myself were going to have a difficult relationship. I could see Kankuro squirming in his seat but Gaara looked steady and cool, his body angled towards me.

The mouse-like elder turned to Gaara then, obviously desperate for back up. Looking back, he must've been pretty fearful. My lethal glares screamed at him that I was ready to tear him limb from limb right before his precious Kazekages. "Lord Gaara, I-"

"Aimi, how would you feel about the medics researching your Sharingan, your jutsu and putting you through intense medical examinations?" Gaara asked me then, completely angled towards me, shutting out the rest of the room, his elbows resting on the desk, his chin propped up on his clasped hands so his head was below me, yet so close, I could smell his familiar fragrance.

Just the sight of him uplifted me a little, him that close, him tearing himself away from the elders. How they must have hated that. But I kept my focus, knowing that I had to be honest with him.

"Honestly? I'd be uncomfortable and grumpy and I'd hate every second of it," I replied honestly. "But if it makes your job easier and it helps us, I guess I could do it, for the sake of peace. I'm just concerned that my Sharingan _isn't _something I wanted paraded around like a museum exhibit. It doesn't _need _to be researched yet. If we were to…" and I paused then, feeling my cheeks flood and breaking eye contact with him, "take things further, then we could cross that bridge when we came to it."

_Damn elders. Gaara and I haven't even slept together and here we are discussing babies, _I cursed inwardly, gritting my teeth. _ It's messed up_.

" I don't even understand _why _my Sharingan _needs _to be looked at anyway," I whined to Gaara, gesturing to him with my hands.

"Well, that's because-" the murine elder began, but he was cut off as Gaara's head shot around to meet the eyes of his counselors.

"No one examines Aimi's eyes during the medical," Gaara commanded, his tone resonating authority as he spoke to his future disciples.

"But-"

"No. Let it be known that no one is permitted to examine or attempt to examine my girlfriend's eyes for any reason during her examination. She and I have made our wishes clear," declared Gaara, his deep voice echoing off the stone walls, the strength of his will apparent in his tone. He would make a fine Kazekage. I smiled proudly.

'_She and I'. And that, ladies and gentleman, is what we call teamwork, _I thought, full of pride,, wanting desperately to high-five him in the middle of this stuffy meeting. I could see Temari and Kankuro trying not to smirk too out of my periphery vision.

Shou chuckled. "Well, it certainly seems you're taking to this like a duck to water, Lord Gaara. Now, I forgot to ask, would you mind very much joining me and Lord Yasushi tomorrow for a mission allocation session tomorrow morning at the academy at eight AM?"

Yasushi was the old shriveled guy, I'd already spotted that. Gaara shook his head and Lord Shou launched into a topic about the exportation of oil and seemed to openly encouraging Gaara to contribute, which he did. He came up with some good suggestions about negotiating with the Land of Hot Water which even had Yasushi nodding his head appreciatively at his ideas.

When Shou seemed assured enough that Gaara had won back the support of any elders who might have been disgruntled with Gaara's clear protectiveness of me, he declared, "Now then, let us hope Lord Juro will be able to join us for the next meeting. As it is, this meeting is now adjourned."

And with that, everyone began to rise and murmur between themselves, some of them waving to Gaara, Yasushi even coming around the table to shake his hand and wheeze, "See you tomorrow morning anyway, son."

The room emptied pretty quickly, Temari and Kankuro leaving together giggling about the elder named Yura's beard. They were both giddy with excitement about their promotion to jonin.

Gaara and I were left alone, aside from the stoic faces of the statues of the former Kazekage, the face of Gaara's father staring down at us.

As the sounds of Temari's laughter drifted away down the corridor, I looked Gaara full in the face and said, "Thank you for that."

He gave me a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow and asked, "For what?"

"Saying about our wishes and stuff, about my eyes," I explained, feeling my cheeks flush red. I looked up then, remembering this was Gaara, _my _Gaara, I didn't need to blush in front of him. "I know it can't have been easy because they're the people who decide if you become Kazekage or not, aren't they?"

"They do partially decide, along with the feudal lord and the jonin council. It works differently in the Land of Wind than it does in the Land of Fire because of the prominence of the elder council here. But since the feudal lord is new himself, it will most likely come down to a joint decision between the jonin and the council elders," Gaara explained, tucking a lock of dark chocolate brown hair behind my ear. "Your hair is lovely," he commented absent-mindedly, cupping my face with his hand. I grinned.

Gaara did not often think without speaking and yet somehow, I still found him a little mesmerized around me, the same way I was with him, like it was still a joy to be in each other's company, like it was still a pleasure to spend every day together.

"Thank you," I repeated sincerely, cocking my head and leaning into his hand.

He appraised me then with warm eyes, eyes that I had grown so used to, yet those same eyes instilled butterflies in my stomach every single time he looked at me the way he was looking at me at that very moment. "It is my duty to protect you, Aimi. We are a team and I love you." His words very so profound, spoken with such clarity that it took my breath away. "This is going to be hard and I'm sorry if by becoming Kazekage, I will burden you in any way. But I will not allow anyone to mistreat you or disrespect you. I will stand by you and take care of you. I will make sure you spend every day knowing that you are loved and that you are part of a family and part of a team. I will get up early and make you cups of green tea in the morning, just how you like them and I won't complain if you undercook the chicken gizzards when I come home from work."

I smirked then, angling my face towards the sunlight streaming in through the spherical window. He continued, "I can't promise I'll be home a lot, but I would enjoy it if you would come to work _with _me, if you would _join _me in running this village. You're intelligent, more so than you know and you understand _people_. People love you. We don't have to give in to this publicity stunt, but we can work together and we can still be a team, Aimi. You don't have to sign paperwork, you can sit on my desk and read a book for all I care, I just want you there."

"Why?" I asked incredulously, gazing into the depths of his sea foam eyes. "Why do you want me there? No one ever wants me around."

"I spent twelve years of my life alone and without you. And then you and Uzumaki showed me that I can choose the path that my life will follow. I don't want to waste another second walking down this path in my life without you by my side," he confessed openly.

I threw my arms around his neck, beaming from ear to ear, relishing the feeling of his arms around me, of my arms around him, of the feeling of _us._

"Who _knew _you were such a romantic?" I teased, burrowing my head into his neck. He didn't respond. I pulled away then and found him smiling pleasantly. "But just promise me one thing? No babies for a _long _while, okay? Like a seriously long while. We're still kids ourselves. I don't care if you're about to become the Fifth Kazekage, you're still not even allowed to drink sake at your own initiation ceremony."

He shook his head at me then, as if to question my sanity and leaned down to my collarbone, so that I could feel his warm breath tickling my bare shoulder. He leaned a little further down and I froze as I felt his lips make contact with my skin. It was rare that he made the first move unless he was emotionally charged and so I was left questioning his sudden urge for passion.

He trailed hot little kisses up my neck, under my jawline, tracing right under my chin and then up to my lips where he paused and gave me a long lingering kiss.

I entangled my fingers in his hair as I always did and sighed into the kiss, allowing myself to get lost in him. I pulled away a little and whispered, "Will we still be allowed to do this when you're working all the time, _Lord _Kazekage?"

His response was instantaneous.

He crushed his lips to mine with a smoldering force, strong yet not overbearing, just terrifying in the strength of his passion as his arms wrapped around my waist. I kissed him back with all the strength I could muster, trying to compete with him, trying to prove I was just as strong as him. But he overpowered me, his tongue battling with mine as I moaned into the kiss softly, the chafing of our clothing irritating me, only adding to the suffocating heat enveloping us. He suddenly lifted me into the air at that moment and my breath caught in my throat momentarily in shock as I kissed him. I squealed and he smiled into our kiss, the inferno of passion that had blazed around us dying a little in my moment of clumsiness.

He grew softer as he carried me to the edge of the huge wooden table, placing me on the edge of it and lowering me to its cool surface. He pulled away then, staring into my eyes, his lips parted. There he grazed my cheek with the pads of his thumb and then each of his fingers individually; watching intently as if something different might occur each time.

My fingers traced the scar etched upon his forehead, as it always did in these intimate moments we shared, and he closed his eyes, leaning down to kiss me once again. We delved into one another, clutching at each other, limbs entangling, lips whispering like a slow love song.

We were true to each other, my fingers quickly undoing the button at his throat expertly and peeling back his overalls, revealing that mesh undershirt I loved so much, tracing the feel of it under my skin, the way his muscles seemed so defined under it.

He waited until I'd hooked my fingers under his mesh undershirt and swiftly pulled it over his head, tossing it across the room before he took hold of my white tank top, always the gentleman. He peeled it from my body slowly, revealing my body from underneath to him and that lacy black bra I'd been forced to wear whilst we'd been out with Lord Juro. I had grown a little attached to it these past couples of days, desperate to see Gaara's reaction to it.

And man, was it a treat.

His eyes went wide, hungry like a wolf that hadn't seen meat for weeks, yet he froze above me. "Aimi," he whispered pointedly, as if to try and warn me that I was wearing _lace_, something he was not accustomed to dealing with in these moments of ours.

I giggled and wriggled beneath him. "Do you like it?"

The closest I ever came to Gaara of the Desert blushing in my entire life was that moment right then when he looked away from me then, above him to the ceiling with an expression on his face that could be read clearly as, "Lord-give-me-strength."

I laughed out loud then, a hearty sound that echoed off the walls, allowing my own happiness to spill out to every corner of the room. "Come here, baby. Let me make the most of you before they lock you up in that big office and give you a big hat and start calling you Lord Kazekage," I murmured.

"I don't think I like the hat," he commented wryly, leaning down toward me again with the hints of a sardonic smile on his face, so rare and striking that I practically bathed in the rays of its glory.

He kissed me once more, his lips gentle and soft as they caressed mine. It was as if he was trying to worship me, to cherish me, his hands going to their usually spot, splaying out across my stomach, tracing patterns across the skin there.

"It might clash with your hair," I agreed, leaning back out of the kiss for a moment and then leaning back in and letting him trace my lips with his tongue, his hands trailing up to my chest.

At that moment, his hands went under my body and he pulled me up into a sitting position, pulling out of our kiss and smirking when I pouted.

He lowered his head to my chest then, his mane of red hair the only thing visible to me and I inhaled sharply, leaning my head back and closing my eyes, giving in to my nervous system.

I felt the wet hot flicker of his tongue on the edge of the breast, just at the edge of my bra and my eyes flew open as the heat in my belly tightened.

It was the stone face I saw upside down that caused me to yelp and jump to my feet, pushing Gaara away a little.

"What? What's wrong?" Gaara asked, taken aback. As a general rule, I _never _pushed away, _ever. _

"This is really weird. Your _dad _is watching," I whispered, turning to Gaara with an expression of horror on my face.

"Aimi," he murmured, shaking his head and closing his eyes, black markings and a scar of the first character of my name engraved upon his forehead forever.

"It is! Nope, I don't want my father-in-law and the First, Second and Third Kazekage thinking I'm some sort of hussy," I complained, spotting my white tank top in the corner and going grabbing it. I put it on quickly and shot the statue of Gaara's father a sheepish look, logic out of the window considering it was a stone carving.

_Father-in-law? _I thought to myself. _Did I just say that?_

But Gaara didn't even comment. He merely arranged himself and held his hand out to me. "You coming?"

"Only if I don't have to start calling you Lord Kazekage all the time," I teased, winking at him and sauntering forwards, taking his hand. He didn't comment, knowing I was trying to get a response out of him, so I pushed him a little further. "The only place I shall be calling you _Lord _Kazekage will be in our _shared _bedroom."

He didn't shake his head. He didn't roll his eyes.

He tried to angle his head away from me. He didn't notice that I'd spotted the upward curl of his lip in response.

* * *

It had been ten days since we'd returned from our mission to retrieve Lord Juro. I had awoken in a very grumpy mood due to the particular occasion that was scheduled for the date. I was also in a bad mood with Gaara whom I had asked to stay in my room with me the night before to calm my nerves and hold me so I didn't feel so low but he had refused, stating that I'd end up distracted and I'd be more tired if he stayed the night in my room.

Because the thing was, that day was the day of my "thorough medical examination". And so that morning, I was pissed off.

"Where the hell is the rice?" I shouted, storming into the kitchen, my wet hair from my shower dripping diamonds of water onto Gaara's T-shirt that I had worn to bed.

"It's where it always is, butthead," Kankuro said, through mouthfuls of _rice_. Temari's expression was wary as she watched me closely, her eyes solemn and maternal.

"Don't test me, asshole," I warned, stalking over to him and leaning over him with a dark look in my eye. "Do you have to go and get your parts probed about, so important people can make sure you can be impregnated with your boyfriend's spawn in your womb when they decide they want another Kazekage? Well?! Do you?!"

I was mostly joking, of course.

He swallowed. "No… because I don't have a boyfriend. And would you lean back, please? You're getting water in my rice from your hair, it's very unhygienic."

"Says you. By the way, Kankuro, did you know we have a shower in a _room _in this apartment? Perhaps you've heard of it. It's just down the hall, first door on the left. IT'S CALLED A BATHROOM!" I yelled at him, spinning on my heel and charging over to the counter. I could hear Kankuro and Temari both snickering but I bit my lip and ignored them, throwing the cupboard door open and setting to work on retrieving and making the rice.

I heard them greet Gaara as he came in to wish us, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Aimi," he said cordially, from his position at the breakfast table.

"Oh sorry, was that the wind I hear or the future father to the spawn I'm supposed to carry around in this womb of mine that may or may not be fertile, but either way it's not like it matters anyway, it just matters enough to be _a huge goddamn deal_?" I saided. I pursed my lips together at the end of my speech to prevent myself from speaking any further and continued stirring the rice. I _was _joking when I kept saying "spawn" and making quips about the elders but I felt like I was somehow pissing _myself _off more and more.

"Don't listen to her, Gaara. She's PMSing," Kankuro said flippantly.

I saw red.

"I AM NOT PMSING, KANKURO! I AM EXACTLY SEVEN DAYS BEFORE MY PERIOD IS DUE. AND DO YOU KNOW HOW I KNOW THAT?! _BECAUSE I HAD TO FIND OUT FOR THIS FUCKING FERTILITY TEST!_" I screeched, hurling the wooden spoon in Kankuro's direction. He ducked swiftly and the spoon hit the wall behind him, clattering to the tiled floor, spattering grains of rice everywhere.

"Er, Aimi… mood swings a week before your period _counts _as PMSing…" Temari told me submissively, her expression passive, yet her eyes giving away her desperate urge to laugh.

"Oh…" I muttered, knowing my expression was extremely puzzled. Kankuro smirked at me and I stuck my tongue out at him, going to retrieve the wooden spoon. I was carefully avoiding Gaara's eye, once again.

In truth, maybe we weren't talking enough about this whole Kazekage thing, maybe we weren't being honest enough with one another. But I didn't want to hurt him; I just wanted whatever made him happy. And if I had to have an intrusive physical exam for his sake, I would do it.

"Are you going to be okay today?" Gaara asked as I picked up the spoon from behind Kankuro's chair.

I sighed, opting for honesty and pulled a face. "Can't you come with me? I'm really nervous. They listen to you, they don't listen to me. You're going to be the Kazekage, I'm just the carrier for the one after that."

"Aimi, I can't, I've got to go through some mission dossiers. The council want me to start on them now to get used to them," he told me, his expression mirroring mine. Disappointment. But then he raised a hand to my cheek and stroked my face with the pad of his thumb. "And you're not just a carrier. You're going to be the Kazekage bride. They know to be careful with you already."

"And if they're not?" I was testing the water now.

"I'll dismiss them," he said simply, picking up a bottle of water he'd left on the table in between where his siblings were eating breakfast silently, eavesdropping.

"Nothing else?" I teased, bouncing on the balls of my feet now.

"It depends if anyone attempts to examine your Sharingan at all," he remarked, turning on his heel and going to lean up by the sink. I followed him and went to stand in front of him, folding my arms, mirroring something I'd seen of him several times.

"And if they do?" I pushed, my voice rising at the tail of my question, lips raised into a half-hopeful smile.

He didn't respond except to swig his water, his eyes on me all the time and I couldn't help the smug grin that spread across my face.

"You look beautiful today," he commented matter-of-factly and I beamed once more, taking a step forward and embracing him warmly, leaning up against him.

"So do you. I'm sorry I was so snappy with you earlier. I didn't mean it. I'm just grumpy. You know I didn't mean it, right?" I apologized, looking up at him with an apologetic look in my eyes.

He took another swig of water and nodded. "I understand. Today is a big day. I know you're only joking about it."

I leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips appreciatively, relishing the soft feeling of his mouth on mine. I turned to his brother and sister then. "I'm sorry too, you guys. I was out of line. I went too far with the whole spawn thing. I just feel like me and my uterus are under a lot of pressure for something that shouldn't even matter for like eight years to regular couples."

Kankuro grinned. "Hell, it was hilarious! Man, Aimi, you make this house fun."

Temari smiled too, but much more sympathetically. "I get it, sweetie. It's not easy. I'd go with you too, but I've got a meeting with the current Sand ambassador today. She's retiring _tomorrow _so today really is my last chance to catch up with her. Do you want me to ask Matsuri if-?"

"No! I mean, no. No, I'll be fine. Besides anyone who goes near my eyes will _definitely _know about it if you know what I mean. Besides, they know my boyfriend's going to be the Kazekage, what the hell could happen?"

* * *

**Author's Note: ALL THE WORDS!**

**What do you think will happen at the physical? Also, there is a LEMON coming up REALLY soon, you guys, I promise. It just has to be when Gaara's Kazekage, I don't think it'd be right to do it beforehand. Do you agree or disagree?**

**When would you next like an update?**

**I could do a long one pretty early if you like.**

**Review and let me know.**


	36. Chapter 36

_**DISCLAIMER - I do **_not _**own Naruto.**_**_  
_**

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. **_

* * *

_I'll travel the sub-zero tundra,_

_I'll brave glaciers and frozen lakes._

_And that's just the tip of the iceberg,_

_I'll do whatever it takes to change._

**_- Owl City, Tip of the Iceberg_**

* * *

I scuffed the tip of my protocol black sandals on the dusty ground of the Sand village as I made my way towards the Kazekage building.

I had been bemused to find out my "thorough medical examination" was being held in the Kazekage building anyway rather than the hospital but the near screeching of, "PRIVACY!" from the elders' secretary had been almost deafening.

Apparently, it was to be a covert operation, of sorts, unknown to the civilians. I was growing more and more doubtful about participation with every step I took.

_Hiding it from the villagers? For what purpose_? I thought incredulously.

The looming dome structure of the Kazekage building came into view then and I sighed heavily.

Several villagers greeted me on my way with cheerful smiles and shouts of, "Good morning, Miss Aimi!" and, "How is Lord Gaara today?" from the shinobi. They particularly, had really taken to him, his battle prowess and dedication to the village becoming something that had made him somewhat of a hero in a matter of less than a year or so. The change in reaction to him was incredible to witness. That was what would make this worth it.

I shuffled along the walkway to the Kazekage building and entered, trying not to frown. In the foyer stood a slender woman with immaculate auburn hair tied back in a long ponytail and side bangs that framed her pretty face perfectly. She was holding a clipboard. She was around twenty five years old, wearing a pristine white coat and an equally flawless smile, a smile so perfect, so refined, I almost didn't trust it.

"Good morning, Lady Aimi!" she greeted, bowing to me and beaming, the smile not quite reaching her lovely brown eyes.

_Ugh, what was with the Lady Aimi?_ I groaned internally. _Gaara and I aren't even married, he's not even Kazekage yet, what's with the sucking up?_

"My name is Doctor Araragi, I will be heading up the medical examination today," she explained. "Now, I'm going to take you through what we'll be doing with you."

She paused then, presumably to give me space to nod, which I did and she continued. "We'll be measuring your height and your weight, that sort of thing. It's just to check that the future bride of the Kazekage is in shape and is leading a healthy lifestyle. This shouldn't be a problem for you, however, seen as you're already a skilled shinobi from what I'm told."

I nodded again, trying to listen closely to what she was saying, to pull it apart at any given moment.

"Then we'll be going on to blood tests, looking at your white blood cell count, any vitamin or mineral deficiencies, that sort of thing. We'll also be taking your blood for fertility reasons to check your levels of progesterone and oestrogen. We're looking for any degenerative diseases or issues that could affect the Kazekage's plans in the future if he decides he would like a child with you."

"_Our_ plans in the future," I corrected, my voice dripping with sweet poison as I smiled at her widely, showing her as many of my teeth as I could. "If _we_ decided _we_ wanted a child in the future, you mean."

She paused then and her eyes went wide for a moment. "Erm, yes, s-sorry," she apologized, stumbling over her words and waving her hand dismissively. "If you _both_ decided you wanted a child."

She smiled a little desperately at me then, but it was too late. I knew we weren't going to get along.

_I_ _was right, I _knew_ this would be torture_, I thought to myself, groaning inwardly.

"We'll need a urine test to look at things like your liver function. We'll also need a cell sample, preferably a skin cell sample."

"Woah, how do you get skin cells off me? There's no skinning me alive happening, right? 'Cause I didn't sign up for this," I warned warily, frowning.

Araragi gave a tinkling laugh and scoffed. "Oh, Lady Aimi, haven't you ever heard of," and then she whispered, "exfoliating?"

She laughed heartily then, stroking the milky skin on her own cheek with lithe little fingers.

I hated her already.

"I don't really have much time for skin products," I admitted, feeling a little inferior. "I just use face wipes when I've had make up on."

"That will be why you're already showing signs of wrinkles."

I reached up to my face automatically, feeling about for any signs of creases, a wave of relief washing over me when I found none.

"I'm only kidding, I'm only kidding," she laughed flippantly, waving her hand, long scarlet red fingernails in my face. "What we'll do is scrape a sample from the inside of your cheek, that's all."

_Murder when you're not fighting the bad guys is not okay, murder when you're not fighting the bad guys is not okay, murder when you're not fighting the bad guys is not okay_, I chanted to myself internally.

"Oh, okay," I agreed, nodding, trying to steady my anger.

"The next part is the tricky part," Araragi said, warningly, her tone condescending as if she were talking to a toddler. "We'll be doing a pelvic exam on you to check for any signs of lumps or tenderness and an internal exam. In the urine sample we'll have already done by this point, we'll be able to check if you have any sexually transmitted disea-"

I snorted. "I definitely don't have any of those. I'm a virgin."

She gave me a look that was clearly nonplussed, surveying me up and down, raking me with her eyes. "So, you and Lord Gaara are not sexually active?"

"Not really," I admitted, failing to mention that one episode of oral sex. "We're both still virgins."

"Well," she breathed, as if it was a piece of gossip she would be relaying to her friends later tonight over drinks. "That is certainly... virtuous. Nevertheless, we will check the urine test. We won't bother with an X-ray in that case, so long as you don't mind if we just check your hymen is still intact."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her and folding my arms.

"Just to check," she said, presumably attempting to reassure, her smile sickly sweet. The urge to vomit was intense.

I grunted.

"We will finish up by checking on your chakra network. We will need you to activate your Sharingan-"

"Woah woah, Gaara said no-"

"But we can assure you there will be no research done into your Sharingan, it's just the easiest way for us to circulate some chakra around your system while you're stationery. It's the easiest way to measure your chakra levels and to check that the network is fine." She gave me a much more convincing smile then, so much so that I even smiled back willing. "Now, if you'd like to follow me."

She led me off the foyer on a new route that I'd never travelled before, not when I had been to the ballroom or to the elder council room. She chattered on about Gaara's ultimate defense and how much money he'd probably pump into the medical core when he ascended to position of Kazekage.

Finally, we reached a long hallway, white walls and white floors, disorientating in its resemblance to a hospital.

I must've looked astounded because at that moment, Doctor Araragi turned to me with that cheap smile and asked, "Like it? This area of the building has been used as a hospital since Lady Karura gave birth to Lord Gaara."

_Lady Karura? __Gaara's__ mother?_ I thought, my breath catching in my throat at the thought of the woman who brought Gaara into this world.

"Wait, so Gaara was born here?" I asked incredulously as she opened a door to our left that led into a small room, the size of a walk-in closet.

Inside, on a counter was a small clear plastic beaker. Another door at the end of the room led off somewhere else.

She ushered me inside, as she said, "Yes, he was. Just down the hall from where you're being examined."

She seemed very flustered now. Then, she bustled over to the counter, picked up the beaker and handed it to me, along with a wipe and declared, "There is a bathroom through that door. I need you to go in there and gather a clean catch specimen of urine. You're going to wipe down your vagina with this alcohol wipe and then urinate into the cup. Leave it on the counter when you're done and step out. I will then bring you to the exam room."

I nodded and went off to do my business, making sure to wash my hands afterwards. When I returned, she greeted me with that false smile and took the beaker from me, heading for the hallway.

She pushed the door open and stopped a passing nurse.

"Nanami, this is Lady Aimi's urine sample. Take it to the laboratory and return quickly for the exam. I need you ready to take her blood," she ordered, very coldly. I sneered behind her, feeling a little insecure about this lady being in control of this examination, due to her personality. I wasn't feeling comfortable.

The girl named Nanami bowed with timid eyes and scuttled off. Doctor Araragi turned to me then and said, "If you would like to follow me, Lady Aimi, I will take you to the exam room."

I nodded and followed her out of the room and down the hall to a set of double doors. I followed her through them and was led into a room with tiled floor, maroon walls, a wide, pristine bed in the center of the room with stirrups.

_Like a goddamn horse_, I thought sarcastically, trying not to roll my eyes. I was beginning to get sick of my own bad mood.

A machine that was probably something to do with heart rate was set up next to the bed and hanging over the bed with a straight black rectangular shape in the center of its makeup loomed another large machine. Two circular windows hinted at signs of life beyond the room and I longed to see the outside world. On the bed was a cyan hospital gown.

I found myself wishing I'd pushed Gaara into coming with me now, for moral support, for anything. I wasn't sure I could do this on my own.

"Now, just take off all of your clothes, underwear included," she added, "and put that gown on. I'll be back in a few minutes with the Nanami and the two trainee medics that will be accompanying me."

I inhaled deeply and nodded, closing my eyes, hearing her exit from the room. I changed into the hospital room, folding up my clothes and hiding my underwear very discreetly within their folds.

Doctor Araragi returned, her smile gone now. The nurse named Nanami was in tow, along with two other strangers. They must've been the trainee medics. They were both boys, both looking only a little older than myself, both with the standard head-wraps and cloth neck-covers of the Sand village. I greeted them both with a warm smile, which they returned.

"Now, then, Lady Aimi. Shall we get on with it?"

They started just as she said they would, measuring my height, weighing me.

"Don't tell me," I warned, as I stepped onto the scales. "I don't want to know. I really don't want to know. It's better if I don't know. Just keep it on your files."

Araragi gave a tinkling laugh and made a note of something on her clipboard.

"Your BMI is done," she commented. "Would you like to know?"

"No!" I shouted. "I mean, no. No, I'm happy not knowing."

She went on to measure my body fat percentage then, pulling out an implement from a drawer by the side and shooting a beam of infra-red light into my bicep.

"Er, you're not trying to laser my arm off, right, or anything? 'Cause I need it for hand signs," I muttered, giving my doctor a puzzled look as Nanami removed the device from her hand and put it away for her while Araragi noted something on her clipboard. As if she couldn't put it away herself.

Nanami beamed at me, clearly trying not to giggle but Araragi merely ignored me. I felt a little disgruntled. I knew at any moment she would be trying to probe inside of me and then our relationship definitely would become strained. At least she could make some effort before that moment.

I sat back on the bed then and Nanami took my blood. I yelped, hating every second of it, trying desperately not to shed tears. I hated needles, anything that wasn't supposed to be in my body that was.

Araragi hushed me then and said with that false smile, "It's only a little blood."

I tried desperately not to retaliate, to allow this to go as smoothly as possible for Gaara's sake, so I bit my lip. After that, the doctor took a strange metal implement and said, "Open wide now, Lady Aimi."

I did as she asked and she scraped the inside of my cheek with the cool object, leaving the remnants of what tasted far too much like blood in my mouth behind. She sent that off "to the lab" with one of the trainee medics.

"Tatsuke, hand me that clipboard," she commanded the other trainee medic. He did as she asked immediately, rushing to her wishes.

"Now, Aimi, how long have you been a shinobi?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Like, two years? Maybe longer. I've been training since I could walk though and I've been at this academy since I was four," I told her.

"Have you ever had suffered any ill health?" she asked inquisitively, pen in hand. "Any serious or recurring physical illnesses?"

"Nope," I replied.

"Nothing to report?" she asked again, leaning forward now.

"No," I repeated, folding my arms now.

"So you didn't spend six months in the Hidden Leaf Village Mental Hospital?" she questioned, that vile grin on her face as she smirked at me smugly. "Or were these reports from the Hidden Leaf village wrong?"

I felt the blood boiling in my brain, seeing red. I was about ready to kill someone. That couldn't be brought up now. Not now. "You said physical illnesses."

"I also said ill health."

"My brother had just slaughtered her entire family!" I shouted.

"_Emotionally volatile_," she noted, writing on her clipboard in huge looping handwriting.

_Calm. Stay calm, Aimi. You can go home and if you really want to, you can have this woman fired and you and Gaara can make out all night long. Fuck this woman. Just give it ten more minutes and walk out. Ten minutes_, I promised myself, trying to avoid the doctor's eyes and gazing heavenward.

"Now, it's on to the fertility aspect of the examination. We won't need to do another blood sample so it's straight onto the physical examination. Please lie on the bed," she instructed and I did so, gingerly, watching her all the time, my shinobi senses tingling, as if I were about to be under attack. But I knew that was so very unlikely, it was just my flight or fight response stirring. I nestled into the bed and exhaled heavily. "Place your feet in the stirrups."

I did as she asked and I felt her cool fingers begin to probe my lower abdominal muscles, the skin above my pubic bone. I shivered. I had never been touched like this before and her fingers were unwelcome, too much nail catching on my skin, far too much pressure. The medical trainee named Tatsuke stood by with a clipboard ready to make notes.

She continued to explore my pelvis, muttering aloud to Tatsuke. "No signs of any tenderness, no lumps… everything seems fine. The skin is supple. The abdominal muscles are toned yet her hips are wide enough to bear children without issue. Note that. The elders will need to know that."

She looked up at me then, picking up a metal implement that looked strangely shaped like a duck's bill. "Now begin's the internal exam."

I sat up and gulped, nodding. I was trying to steel myself. I didn't like this.

"Please try and stay as still as you can. This will be uncomfortable but it shouldn't hurt if you stay still. This is to-"

"I don't need to know what it's for," I interrupted, lying back down on the bed. "Just do it."

It was awful. Truly awful.

Like the feeling of falling in love had been belittled into a mere chemical reaction as the Doctor explored the inside of me, making comments like, "There's the hymen indeed, Tatsuke. Make a note of that".

It got worse as she continued probing and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"That's the smear done," she declared finally and I knew she was finished. I scrambled away from her a little, my natural urge to get away from whatever had been making me feel so uncomfortable just moments before.

"Tatsuke, go into the control room and prepare the Dometer. Nanami, check Aimi's blood pressure and align the Dometer. Hibiki, prepare to take notes. This is the most important part," the doctor commanded, her voice dropping all pretence now and becoming extremely stern and cold as she ordered around her juniors.

They did as she directed and Nanami stood on her tiptoes to reach up and move the great steel machine that was looming over my head with its rectangular black emblem engraved onto it like a cult symbol.

"What does that thing do?" I inquired warily, pointing up at it with a stumpy index finger. Well, stumpy compared to Araragi's fingernails. I cut mine.

"It measures your chakra. It's like its own Byakugan, of sorts and it can see your chakra flowing around your body and it records it. That's what the black area is for. It records your chakra," she explained, as suddenly a humming noise began to emanate from the Dometer above me. The boy named Hibiki watched intently as Nanami reached for my bicep gingerly and strapped a cuff around my arm, beginning to measure my blood pressure.

She did so and nodded approvingly when it was done, unstrapping the cuff and taking the measuring device off with her.

"Nanami, if you'll take all the information we've gathered so far down to the laboratory and just leave it with them so they can create a full report on Aimi. I think Hibiki, Tatsuke and I can handle it from here," Araragi said, addressing Nanami now with that phony smile once more. What was she up to? But Nanami went to the counter by my bed and picked up the clipboards left there by the boy named Tatsuke who was now presumably in the next room and by the doctor herself. She carried them swiftly from the room and presumably to the "laboratory" for some reason.

I felt alone once Nanami had left, like she'd been the little moral support, the little refuge I'd managed to take in this room. In another world, we might have been good friends.

"Now then, Aimi, please activate your Sharingan and just stare straight ahead at the black rectangular area of the machine," she instructed, all traces of a smile gone. "Try to keep extremely still. Extremely still."

"Right," I agreed, looking up to where the humming noise was coming from and focusing. And then, I activated my Sharingan.

I stared straight into the black box, trying to see through it for any signs of flickering as it measured my chakra network but I could see nothing, just a reflection of my own eyes. Was it a mirror? I shifted in my bed, trying to get a better look.

_Damn eyes_, I thought to myself, fidgeting a little._ They're so clear I can even see a reflection of myself._

"Remember, Lady Aimi, think still," Araragi soothed, her voice no more than a whisper as she tried to calm me. I ignored her regardless.

I shifted a few inches to the left and angled my head towards the right, trying to see the colors of flickering chakra within the Dometer, measuring my own chakra but it was no use, I still saw my own eyes.

_Maybe the machine is faulty_, I thought to myself, cocking my head to the side.

I closed one eye very discreetly then and the mirror image did the same.

_Hah!_ I thought, trying to see past my reflection for the flickers of chakra once again but nothing.

_That's so weird!_ I pondered, cocking my head, once again.

At that moment, Tatsuke walked into the room. "Doctor Araragi, no disrespect but I cannot get a good look at her eyes when she's moving so much. Can't you get her to be still?"

* * *

Needless to say, sprinting through the streets of the Sand village in a hospital gown was not one of the ways I envisioned the day going, no matter how badly I thought it was going to go. Nor did I think I was going to have droplets of tears streaking down my face. Many puzzled expressions greeted me this time as I made my way hurriedly back to the Sand Siblings' apartment.

I pressed the buzzer, holding it down for an excessive amount of time, waiting for someone to answer since I had left my key back with my clothes.

"Please don't do that, it's a horrible sound," Kankuro's voice finally came over the intercom.

"It's me, let me in," I sniffed, my voice coming out no more than a blubber.

"What? Aimi?" he asked, clearly confused. He buzzed me in regardless and I rushed upstairs, throwing the door open to the apartment.

Gaara was sat on the couch, pouring over a pile of paperwork strewn out over the coffee table, Kankuro stood behind him, swigging a bottle of Ramune, his eyes already trained on the door, probably waiting on the moment I walked in.

Temari came out of the kitchen just at the same moment as Gaara looked up from his great mountain of paperwork. "Aimi, I just got back- what's wrong?"

"They- they put some- some goddamn beak or something inside me and she was all 'you have wrinkles!' and, and I _don't_ and she made me pee in a pot and she took my blood and she was so _horrible_ about when I was depressed after what happened with Itachi and she called me emotionally volatile.." the words were coming out in an endless stream as my hysteria escalated. "And then she _tricked_ me and they were trying to look at me eyes behind my back!"

Silence.

"She brought up what happened with your clan _and_ they looked at your Sharingan?!" Temari yelled, slamming her cup of tea down on the coffee table, the liquid sloshing all over Gaara's paperwork.

She gave him an apologetic look but he did not catch it. His eyes were on me, totally inscrutable, his expression stoic.

And while he did seem so _very_ unreadable, I had never seen him looking so _cold_. He got to his feet very slowly.

"Kankuro?" he asked. His voice was calm as his gaze locked with mine, his sea foam eyes enigmatic. Temari walked over to me then and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, rubbing my arm to try and comfort me presumably.

"Yeah?" Kankuro's expression was wary as if at any moment, anyone could lose it. But I had stopped crying now. I merely held Gaara's gaze, trying to convey to him how much pain I was in, how uncomfortable and violated I had felt.

"Come on," Gaara directed, his voice as dark and bitter as a winter's night, just like it had been when we'd first met. He picked up his gourd and swept past me, not breaking eye contact with me until he was out of my line of sight.

It was obvious then what he was going to do.

Kankuro scuttled after him, down the stairs, shouting, "Gaara, wait! You can't just go in there, kicking ass! You're not even the Kazekage yet! What're you gonna do?"

His voice faded out as he slammed shut the door behind him. Temari sighed and wrapped me up in her arms. "Come on, sweetie. Let's sit down. I'll make you some tea and we'll watch some cheesy movie."

I watched her make a cup of tea for me and she grumbled about the old lady she'd just been in a meeting with who had apparently looked like she was ready for her coffin right there and then. She was obviously trying to make me laugh and she did succeed in making me smile slightly.

When she had finished, she put some romantic comedy on the television and the film began. We settled down into the couch, Gaara's soiled paperwork discarded on the coffee table. I leaned against her shoulder and relaxed.

She began to mutter things like, "Damn corrupt system of our father and all these elders thinking they can do whatever they like," and, "When Gaara becomes Kazekage thinks will be totally different."

About thirty minutes later, very suddenly, she turned her whole body in my direction, jostling me a little in her movement so I had to sit up and face her. "Did they seriously look at your eyes? After Gaara warned them?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yup. They told me they were reading my chakra," I explained, sitting up. "I'm sorry for crying like that."

"It's fine. I understand. The gynaecologist can be a pretty traumatic experience," she giggled, nudging me.

"I am never going again," I declared firmly, folding my arms and looking down. I cringed a little as I noticed my attire. "I can't believe I ran out of there. I'm such an idiot. Who runs through the streets a hospital gown?"

"Hey! It's understandable! They'd been probing you and messing with you and then they go and do that with you after you and Gaara both told the elders not to, it's ridiculous. I hope Gaara kicks their asses."

At that moment, we heard the sound of the door open downstairs, of someone making their way up the steps. I sat up, hoping it was Gaara, my eyes on the door to the living room.

The door was flung open, revealing Kankuro carrying a very neat pile of my clothes in his hand. His hood was down and he looked a little disheveled, his expression less cheerful than usual.

"What happened? Where's Gaara?" Temari asked, as he walked forward and placed the clothes in my lap gently, smiling at me as he did so.

"Thank you," I murmured tentatively.

"It's okay, little sister," he soothed, his smile spreading into a grin. He went to sit on Temari's other side, sprawling out on the sofa. "So, what're we watching?"

Temari gave him a swift smack across the back of the head. "Kankuro! _What_ happened? Where is Gaara?"

"He went off to talk to the elders. He told me to go straight to the medical floor of the Kazekage building, tell them who I was and that I'd come to collect Aimi's clothes. Then, I was to inform then that Gaara would be along shortly to speak with them, gather Aimi's things and leave. So I did," Kankuro explained, all the time keeping his eyes on the television. He had a guilty pleasure for sitcoms and romantic comedies.

"Did they say anything?" I questioned shyly, snuggling into Temari's shoulder once more. She was so maternal, so caring when she needed to be.

"Some brunette doctor kept following me around apologizing but I just told her to take it up with Gaara. He's the one she's answerable to." Kankuro seemed to have lost interest in the whole thing now and was totally immersed in the movie so I figured that'd be all we would get out of him.

"Don't worry, Aimi. Gaara will take care of this," Temari assured me, giving me yet another smile. This one, however, I returned more surely because I truly believed her. I trusted Gaara.

The sun continued its plight to lord over the skies as the day passed and the movie finished. Kankuro switched to regular television, watching one of his favorite sitcoms. Temari went to get her fan from the locked utility room and began to polish it lovingly.

I got to my feet and set to work clearing away the soiled papers, now starting to dry and went to place them on the kitchen table. Gaara could do what he liked with them. After this, I'm sure the least the elders could do would be to copy him some more papers. If they _were _papers from the elders...

_Oh well. They're just papers_. I thought to myself. _They'll dry._

I went to dry up the remaining spillage on the coffee table with a towel from the bathroom and then disposed of it into the laundry pile in my room. After that, I went back into the living room and picked up the pile of clothes Kankuro had left me, took them to my room and changed back into them. Then I returned to the living room wearily and sat back down by Temari and Kankuro.

In truth, I was trying to pass the time, waiting to hear the sound of the door opening downstairs, for him coming home.

Not even to hear that he'd done something about what had happened, just so that he'd be here.

I grew more and more impatient as the minutes passed by and the reel of false laughter played repetitively on Kankuro's sitcom.

But finally, the downstairs door _did_ open and I jumped, my eyes flitting to the living room door automatically.

"Come on, Kankuro. Let's make a start on lunch," Temari suggested, getting to her feet and slapping her brother's thigh.

"What? But it's just getting to the good-"

"No, come _on_," Temari said, pointedly, jerking her head between the door and myself just as the sounds of Gaara slowly ascending the stairs could be heard. She made her way to the kitchen, Kankuro following behind her sluggishly, grumbling about the "best part", and I was left in the living room alone.

It seemed to take forever for him to reach the top of the stairs, but he finally did, and he opened the door much more slowly than his elder brother before him.

He stood in the doorway boldly, arms folded, his gourd taking up the entirety of the space. He didn't greet me with a smile as most would but rather surveyed me, to see if I was okay. He could probably see that I had stopped crying and was thus taking it as a good sign. His blood red hair was windswept as if he had been rushing around all day, sea foam eyes alive with something I could not comprehend.

Gaara was what I had come to recognize as home. And right now, I needed some home comforts.

"Gaara," I whispered, in greeting, my voice pleading for comfort, my front cracking a little.

He didn't respond nor did his expression change, he merely stepped forward into the room and removed the white piece of cloth slung around his shoulders, carrying his gourd and placed it by the doorway so the gourd was leaned up against the wall. He shut the door behind him and then very purposefully walked over to me and sat down beside me on the couch.

He didn't speak; he just wrapped an arm around my shoulder and used the other one to pull one of my legs into his lap so I was angled towards him, allowing him to almost cradle me a little. He kept totally silent as he held me; the only sounds were his steady breathing, the buzz of the television and the faint sounds of Temari and Kankuro squabbling in the kitchen.

I placed my hands on his chest and rested my head underneath his chin, closing my eyes and soaking in the feeling of comfort, of contentment, as he held me like I was precious, like I was of some value.

Moments passed. "We have an appointment with a head medic the day after tomorrow at noon for your results," he suddenly said, holding me closer still, the hand that was on my thigh sending sparks to my very core.

"We?"

"Yes, we. I thought you might want me there this time," he confirmed, moving to play with my hair from the feel of it, twirling it in his fingers.

"I do. I want you there. They just don't listen to me. I know you're busy but... I would feel better... for now, at least," I admitted, leaning against him.

"That's fine. I can't be and I will never be too busy for you. If I can't look after you, how can I be expected to look after a village?" he questioned, still playing with my hair, his other hand stroking circles on the skin on my thigh softly, lovingly.

I didn't allow a pause to settle. "What happened? What happened when you left? What happened to Doctor Araragi?" I leaned back to make eye contact with Gaara then to watch his expression. "Tell me from start to finish. And don't leave out any details." He smiled wryly at me.

"It was Elder Yasushi who ordered the medic Araragi to study your eyes against our will and against the agreement of the council. He went to Lady Chiyo to seek her advice and she suggested research into your Sharingan. It seems she does not trust it, or anything from the Leaf," Gaara explained.

"Lady Chiyo? One of the Honored Siblings?"

Gaara nodded. "Yes. I thought it might have been him from something he said to me at the mission allocation last week. I went to confront him and he didn't deny it. Lady Chiyo doesn't usually involve herself with the current affairs of the council but she and Lord Yasushi are old friends and it seems he owes her a favor."

He paused then and grunted, grinding his teeth together in frustration. "My problem is, Aimi, that I'm not yet Kazekage. Right now, my official title is just Provisional Head of the Council of Advisors. I don't have the power to dismiss elders. But I _can_ dismiss medics. So Doctor Araragi won't be practicing in the Sand village ever again."

"Wasn't she only under orders though?" I inquired curiously, cocking my head at him, tracing his strong jaw with my index finger.

"I didn't like the way she spoke to you." It was a simple explanation, but his words were so profound to me that I couldn't stop the ear-splitting grin that appeared on my face.

Gaara's upper lip curled at seeing me smile so and he continued, "I may not be able to dismiss Lord Yasushi but I have spoken to him. I have explained that research on your Sharingan is pointless and a waste of money. We don't need to know what it can do at this point through biological research and I told him I would not tolerate anyone treating you like that."

"What did he say?"

"He said to pass on his sincerest apologies and that he was just doing what he thought was best for the village."

I snorted, leaning back and closing my eyes. "I'm sure he was _very_ sorry."

Gaara didn't respond, his fingers still tracing patterns on my thigh. I opened my eyes then. "Hey, Gaara. You know when you're Kazekage, will you fire his ass?"

His lips spread into a smile. "There are a few things that need changing in this village."

"And he's one of them, right?" I guessed, trailing my fingers up to his neck, the feel of his untainted soft skin under the pads of my fingers.

"I won't let him get away with it, Aimi," Gaara proclaimed, suddenly very serious, his fingers on my thigh ceasing their movements. He merely held me.

"I know you won't," I told him, sighing. We sat in silence for several minutes then, holding each another, listening to the sounds of Temari hitting Kankuro with presumably the same wooden spoon I had launched at him this morning for trying to test some of the rice. I nestled into Gaara's neck and his arm around me tightened, pulling me closer still.

"Will you still be able to cuddle when you're Kazekage?" I asked, my voice coming out muffled since my face was angled into the juncture of his neck.

"Yes."

"Will you still be able to come to bed with me and help me get to sleep?" My nose skimmed up to underneath his ear. We were certainly in a compromising position.

"Yes. Although if it were up to the council, that wouldn't be all we would be doing," he commented, rolling his eyes. I looked up at him, at that moment, puzzled, unsure of if I'd heard him right.

Had he really just brought that up first?

"You mean-? Do you...?" I lost my nerve then and I inhaled deeply. This was Gaara. We'd been through too much for me to chicken out when it came to stuff like this.

So I steeled myself and mustered my bravery. I sat up and placed both legs either side of his, straddling him, both of my hands in his scarlet locks. "Do you think we will?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, a little perplexed at my sudden boldness yet encouraging me to continue.

I sighed and said through gritted teeth, "Do you think we'll... have sex?"

I half expected him to smirk or avoid the question but he didn't; he held my gaze, honest and true to me. "How long do you expect to stay in this relationship, Aimi?"

I would be just as honest. "Indefinitely." I didn't even blink.

"Then I presume it'll probably come up at some point," he said, his hands on my hips now. He wasn't fazed at all by my proximity or by the topic; he took it all in his stride as if we were discussing the weather.

"Do you want to have sex?" I couldn't look at him then. My gaze went to my lap, hiding my blush, the blood flooding to my cheeks hurriedly in the moment.

Silence.

"With me, I mean," I mumbled, knowing the humiliation was now staining my cheeks a similar color to Gaara's hair.

I saw his index finger come to meet the underside of my chin, and felt him lift my face up so that my eyes met his, whether I liked it or not. I pulled a face, trying to _save_ face but Gaara didn't look like he was about to disappoint me.

"Of course I want to," he said. His voice didn't sound shaky or full of anxiety like mine, it rang clear and deep. "But I won't push you or rush you."

"But you do you want to?" I asked, wanting him to confirm it, looking up at him under my eyelashes.

He raised his eyebrows at me again and nodded. "Yes."

"Do you two want some yakizakana?!" Temari's voice came from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" I yelled back, turning in Gaara's lap so I was sat facing forward, rather than straddling him.

I turned back in time to see Gaara pulling a face, showing his distaste for fish.

I nudged him gently. "Don't complain. You need your Omega-3."

"Aimi, will you come give me a hand with this rice? Kankuro is totally useless in the kitchen," Temari called.

"Sure." I got to my feet and went to help with lunch. We spent the rest of the day hanging out. Gaara managed to dry out and salvage his paperwork and he worked on it all afternoon, sat on the floor by the coffee table, resting against my legs. I massaged his shoulders while he worked tirelessly from what I could see, proofreading files varying from missions about dog walking to those about espionage.

As the night drew in and Temari and Kankuro had retired to bed, I noticed him trying to disguise a yawn over a letter addressed to him from a shinobi pleading for a better vending machine in the jonin standby lounge.

"The insomniac in the corner yawning? What's up with that?" I teased, leaning down and resting my head in the crook of his neck. "Do you feel tired?"

"I always feel tired," he answered, his deep voice laced with undertones of bitterness.

"You've had a really busy day. I think you should stop for now. You've been at this all day and you were kicking ass and taking names for me earlier."

He didn't respond, his eyes staring at but not seeing the piles of papers he'd be sifting through all day. To be fair, from what I could see, he'd done an excellent job.

"Do you have a headache?" I murmured, keeping my voice low.

He nodded, leaning his head on mine.

"Come on, let's go to bed. You can do this tomorrow and I'll help you," I said, getting to my feet and yawning myself, stretching my arms out.

To my surprise, he didn't protest. He got his feet rather slowly and followed me into my bedroom. I wondered vaguely how often he went in his bedroom nowadays since we always seemed to stay here overnight.

Kankuro and Temari had gotten used to us staying in the same room overnight now since we already did it when we were in missions and there was little difference when we were at home. It was just routine now.

We got ready for bed individually. He went into the bathroom out of the courtesy to me and I changed into one of his old T-shirts.

I inhaled sharply through my teeth as I felt the chilly night air on my skin, Gaara's thin T-shirt and my underwear being the only things separating my body from the cold.

I snapped off the light and clambered into my bed, utterly fatigued from the day's exhaustions, and yawned again, tears springing to the corners of my eyes. I pulled the comforter over myself and sighed in contentment, staring at the darkened ceiling.

Gaara came in after several minutes, sporting nothing but a pair of sweatpants. I sat up immediately and felt a sly smile spread over my face as my eyes traced his torso.

"You look so nice without many clothes on," I commented, cocking my head and bending my knees under the comforter, resting my arms atop of them.

"Hn," he grunted, his upper lip seeming to curl in the darkness. He walked over to the bed slowly, like all the time in the world was his, like it would stop for him. He got into bed much more gracefully than I and his arms immediately reached out for me, snaking around me and pulling me to his body under the blanket, skin and cotton.

He pulled me up against his bare chest, as he always did and I relaxed as one of his hands went to my hair and I was enveloped in him, in his spicy scent, in his limbs, his skin. It was like he was trying to smother me, to own me, every primal urge he had in fusion with his compulsion to protect me.

"I love you," I said, my voice little more than a whisper, into the cool skin of his collarbone, the chain I had bought him for his birthday still slung around his neck.

"I love you," he replied, and I felt him kiss my hair.

Both of us knew rejection, we knew pain. But like he often said, we understood each other a little better because of that. We understood what it was like to feel alone, to feel like every single person you ever put your trust in seemed to turn around and stab you in the back.

That was why each of us knew how important our relationship was to each other, why I knew that every time he kissed me, he put himself at risk of being hurt again, he put all his faith in me to not tear him apart. He put all his trust in me to keep him from drowning, to keep him afloat.

It worked both ways. I trusted him not to run away, not to abandon me, that when he held me while we were bathed in the moonlight, that he truly meant it.

It was both precarious and bulletproof.

But I trusted him.

I fell asleep as I did every night, in his arms, content and safe.

* * *

I could feel unconsciousness ebbing away, my body obviously having its fill of sleep.

I stretched my toes out a little, feeling Gaara's own feet right by mine. The arm that was slung over me curved around my figure a little me, pulling me closer, hugging me to his body, now warm, so very warm.

"Good morning," he murmured, his voice gravely from disuse overnight.

I opened my eyes to big green eyes as I did every morning, eyes that whispered secrets and magic. Gaara exuded mystery, like he knew the intricacies of this world and if you held him close enough, he'd tell you.

"Did you sleep well?" I teased, winking at him, expecting him to roll his eyes.

_Just as I thought_, I noted internally, as he did just that, all the while his arms holding me tightly, his legs intertwining with mine.

"Even if I could sleep, I wouldn't manage it with all the noise you make all night," he quipped, giving me a deadpan look.

"Noise?" I asked. "Oh God, I don't snore, do I?"

"You sleeptalk."

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, raising my hands to my face in shock. "What do I say?!"

His upper lip curled, obviously very pleased with himself. "Mostly my name. Sometimes you talk about the Leaf village. You reprimand phantom Narutos in your sleep a lot too."

I chuckled. "Anything else?"

He shook his head, that smirk still on his face. "Just my name a lot in varying tones and volumes."

My eyes darkened a shade. "What do you mean?"

Still with that damn smirk.

"Gaara!"

"Close," he commented, with a slight smile, the amusement twinkling in his eyes. It was like the very pallets of his hair, his eyes, his skin, like someone had spattered blood on a tropical beach somewhere, the pastel green of the ocean lapping on the white sands.

I gasped as I realized what he was talking about. "No! No. I don't believe you. You're lying! You're lying to me, Gaara." I pointed to him then, my fingertip brushing his angular nose. "That's not true. I don't make sex noises in my sleep."

"I'm not surprised Kankuro already thinks we have," he said, his arm that was slung over my body travelling down my hip and then under his T-shirt to clutch at my skin, his fingers brushing my panties as they moved. His fingers sent sparks shooting up my nervous system and I froze.

My bravery swelled then at his movements and I leaned into him, my lips mere centimeters from his. I ran my hands up his toned arms, musing at how strong they were now compared to when we'd met. They traversed around his shoulders, up his neck and I cupped his face, stroking his cheekbones with my thumbs. The whispers and flutters of our unsteady breathing were so concentrated in this tiny space, our tangled limbs creating a sheen of sweat upon our bodies underneath the stuffy comforter. But I wouldn't have traded this for anything in the world.

"Why don't we?" I whispered, leaning in and kissing him softly, mustering every ounce of smoldering passion I could in the moment. Our lips moved slowly, relishing each touch, each change in pressure. I held his life force in my hands, the future Kazekage, the pride of the Sand in between my palms.

"Why don't we what?" he murmured, as if he hasn't really been listening. I kissed him again, ever so slow, trying to entice him to push it, to move things further.

He played with me a little, caressing my lips with his own, capturing my lower one between his own and sucking. He seemed to work himself up, having been his own worst enemy since he was a young boy as he propped himself up to hover over me and his kisses became a little rougher, a little more frenzied. I allowed him access to my mouth and his tongue overpowered mine, roaming the crevices, taking control.

His hands slid up to my hair and he laced his fingers within my locks, pulling me closer to him, some frantic urge that I knew all too well telling him to fuse our bodies, to make me his, to own me so I couldn't abandon him.

At first, I had thought it was Shukaku, his violent tendencies warping into sexual desire. I had worried he was the reason Gaara became a little rough when we did this, that the intense lust Gaara experienced in these moments satiated Shukaku's thirst for blood.

But I'd figured it out recently. It wasn't Shukaku, it was Gaara and all he'd been through. He was trying to dominate me, to force me to stay with him, to become a part of him. He was so invested in us; we both knew there was no way out for either of us now. And it scared him that any day, I could wake up and choose to go back to the Leaf village and leave him here, with all this love that he never meant to have for anyone except for himself.

It was a desperate ache between us, a slow building urge. As unconventional as it was, I wanted him to take control when we kissed and touched, I wanted to receive him and to have him leave his mark on me, like I belonged somewhere, like I belonged with him.

He was never violent with me and he never disrespected me. Every touch, as passionate as it was, was laced with reverence. Even as he held my head in this moment, trying to weld our bodies together, he was still gentle with me somehow, every rough kiss holding a delicate sort of savagery to it.

It was like the scars of his heart came to the surface of his very flesh in these moments and I could feel his ardent urge for something.

His urge was not to own me to show me that he had the power in the relationship - he knew that we were on equal terms - it was his way of begging me not to leave him, not to hurt him.

I pulled away then and he gave me a questioning look, as if to ask if he'd made a mistake, possibly if he'd gone too far. I gave him a reassuring smile in response and played with his hair in my fingers, marvelling at the magnificent color, the wondrous shades of scarlet. "Why don't we have sex?"

He rolled off me then, sighing heavily and collapsing by my side, his head buried in the pillow, the contours of his back like a rolling mountain range where his shoulder blades protruded from his body.

I felt the cool sickening feeling of rejection settle in my stomach and I rolled over, facing away from him to the other side of the bed, burying myself under the comforter and biting my bottom lip in an effort not to cry.

Minutes passed. The silence dragged on, every moment that he allowed to go on like another wound to my heart.

"Aimi?"

I ignored him, trying desperately not to cry as I felt tears brim to my eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. I lifted the cover to my chin, trying to gain a little comfort, a little acceptance from something, anything.

"Aimi?" he repeated, his voice no more than a murmur. I heard him shift then, moving under the covers. I curled myself into a ball, trying to take up as little space as was humanly possible. I tried to ignore his movements but I found myself growing curious as to what he was doing, since he seemed to be fidgeting a lot.

Yet he continued to ignore me, busying himself with his movements.

Finally, he stopped and I could feel his weight being shifted from his side of the bed towards me, the sounds of him coming closer.

But that rejection wouldn't go away. I'd practically offered myself on a plate to him, I couldn't have been more pathetic and he didn't feel the same. Wasn't I good enough? What was wrong with me? Didn't he want to sleep with me?

Did I feel more for him than he did for me?

"Aimi?" He must've only been six inches away now, so close behind me.

What did he want?

'_It's not you, it's me.'_

_'I just don't see you like that.'_

_'I'm only thinking about you.'_

But his hands reached out for me again and upon his gentle touch, he immediately went under my T-shirt and I stiffened, still upset with him.

He shuffled a little closer to me, rubbing his hand up my side, down the hills and valleys of my body, as if to comfort me. I didn't respond to his touch and I tensed every muscle, letting him know he wasn't welcome.

He moved closer then and I could feel his body against mine. Only it wasn't the same as normal, when I could usually feel his sweatpants against my naked legs.

It was _his _legs as they tangled with mine that set off alarm bells in my mind.

They were bare.

My head shot round to peer at him, to stare down at his body to confirm what I was thinking. That was why he had been fidgeting.

He had been taking off his clothes.

"_What_ are you doing?" I hissed, unable to stop my eyes tracing down his familiar torso, the contours of his faint abdominal muscles, down to the very length of him, at attention, shaded by the darkness of the comforter.

I'd never seen him naked before, not like this - hell, I'd never seen another man naked before in the flesh, not properly.

I nearly snapped at him to put his clothes back on, but two things stopped me. The first was that he was doing just as I had before, offering himself up to me and I knew Gaara had a fragile ego for all his tough talk, when it came to us. He was putting himself out there, showing me that he wanted me, that he was ready.

The second was that the very sight of him sent an aching heat in between my legs, so many inches of bare skin, the length of him between his legs, bold, uncaring, all mixed in with his ruffled bed hair, spikes of crimson in disarray and an expression of determination on his face.

I wanted this. I really wanted this.

I rolled over, images of what it's be like flashing through my mind. Would he be rough and dominant like he was when we kissed? Or soft and gentle? Lord knows he could be such a gentleman outside of the bedroom.

Would it hurt?

He hadn't even responded to my question, knowing perfectly well that I knew what he was doing.

"You sure?" I asked, biting my lip, unable to tear my eyes away from his body.

He nodded. "Are you?"

"Never been surer of anything in my whole life," I said, my breath catching in my throat, making my voice sound unsure. To prove my point, I sat up, leaning on my forearms and stripped myself of my T-shirt, discarding it by the bed.

His eyes were on me, devouring my breasts with his eyes, so he didn't notice me lift my legs up under the comforter, hooking under my panties, ridding myself of them too.

As I moved to dispose of them by the bedside, he caught on then and he leaned up on his forearms too, looking very much like a raccoon sniffing the air for food.

"Aimi, are you...?" he asked, trailing off, unable to see what I'd just done because of the comforter covering us both.

I felt vulnerable, exposed without my underwear, completely naked, the only thing hiding my dignity being the covers. But it felt exhilarating too, exciting, like something magical was about to happen.

I bit my lip as I met his gaze and I nodded. "I'm naked, yeah," I told him, trying to sound as calm and composed as possible, knowing the blood flooding to my cheeks would give me away.

He'd never seen me naked before, no one had. If we started this, it couldn't be undone.

But the pictures of merging flesh, the thoughts of him inside me, inside my body send an ache from my throat down to my sensitive spot.

He took a deep breath, discreetly moving back a little, possibly to give me privacy and he said, "Okay, if we do this, I want you to know that I'm not doing it for anyone other reason except for the fact that I'm in love with you and I want to show you."

He had never said he was in love with me before.

"Okay. I'm gonna show you now," I murmured, biting the inside of my cheek. "Don't laugh, okay?"

"Why would I laugh?" he mused, a little bewildered. He made a fair point; he was so serious that he rarely laughed.

"Because it's not-" and I sighed, "I just don't look good naked."

"I don't care what you look like, it's you that I love," he vowed, his eyes on my face now, having had his fill of breasts. I wondered vaguely if he'd be more of an ass man anyway.

I nodded and steeled myself, reaching out for him with my hand, trying to get him to make the first move.

He gave me a questioning look, but moved towards me, propping himself up and hovering over me. He placed his hands either side of my head, lifting the comforter up over his back, leaving my body thoroughly exposed to his hungry eyes.

I watched his eyes travel down my body, over the hills of my breasts and down my stomach, around the swell of my hips and to where a small tuft of dark curls nestled in between my legs.

I saw his length then, breaching the space between us as it hung down from his body, engorging before my eyes as Gaara's ravenous eyes soaked in every inch of my skin, licking his lips.

"You're beautiful," he breathed. "You're so beautiful."

And he leaned down, his hand coming to cup my cheek, the warmth of his palm seeping into my skin as he held me. He kissed me once more, pressing his lips to mine like I was of some significance.

"I thought you said you didn't care what I looked like," I said, raising an eyebrow as he pulled away.

"I don't. The way I feel for you is so because of who you are. But incidentally, you are so lovely," he commented, leaning up again. His hand went from my cheek to down by my hip and he glanced at me, clearly seeking permission to touch.

But he didn't need it, wasn't it apparent that we'd have to touch for this to work?

_We're such virgins_, I thought to myself, secretly pleased that he was being so mannerly. I expected it of him but not to such an extent. He left all of the control in my hands.

I nodded to him and his big hand went to shape itself around the curve of my hip, the top of my thigh, the part of me he'd truly never seen before. I felt a spark at his touch and his grip tightened a little, so I could feel his fingers in the soft flesh of my butt.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back a little, clearly relishing the moment. At that moment, his manhood swelled once more, brushing my stomach and I jumped a little at the feel of it, already a little moist.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gaze locked on mine, immediately checking for any signs of reluctance.

"Yeah. Come on, let's do it," I suggested, grinning at him, the anticipation sparking through my veins, one of my hands going up to lace in his hair, the other on his shoulder.

At that moment, however, we heard stirring within the house. Someone was waking up.

Gaara and I groaned simultaneously.

"It's Kankuro," Gaara surmised, his familiarity with his siblings' habits and patterns surprising me. "It's only seven so he'll go back to sleep."

We remained frozen, naked, literally on the edge. The comforter was strewn over us both, Gaara still suspended over me, his head cocked towards the door so he could hear better.

It seemed like Kankuro was heading for the bathroom, down the hall, past our room, so we walked, listening with every step as his heavy footfalls made their way past the bedroom.

"Do you think we woke him up?" I whispered to Gaara and his sea foam eyes slid to me.

He shook his head, crimson spikes quivering with the movement. "We weren't that loud."

At that moment, we heard the flush of the toilet and Kankuro humming to himself and I held my breath, praying he would just go back to sleep.

He made his way down the hallway and his strides neared our doorway. I looked up at Gaara, who turned his head back towards me and smiled.

His smiles were so few and far between yet they were glorious, majestic, as if he was born of angels.

And it reminded me so of a time during the Chunin exams, in the preliminary rounds when I'd seen his face in total juxtapose to this now, a manic grin stretched across his features, sea foam eyes wild and blood shot, fissures in his sand armor, like he was conceived by demons.

But it didn't matter to me. He was neither angel nor demon to me, he was just Gaara.

Gaara.

How did my whole world suddenly fit into five little letters?

I supported myself up on my elbows then, wanting to press my lips against his. He noticed my movements and angled his head towards me obligingly, his mouth meeting mine eagerly.

At that moment, however, the door to our bedroom was flung open, Kankuro sauntering in. "Hey, have you guys seen Temar-? OH MY GOD!"

Immediately, I felt Gaara's body flatten on top of mine and I grunted a little at the sudden weight.

Gaara's torso rested directly on top of mine, his chest obscuring my breasts from Kankuro's eyes. Gaara hissed towards his brother animalistically, his arms trying to shield me from view, to cover any inch of skin that Kankuro could see.

I could see Kankuro stood in the doorway to our room, his face nonplussed, full of horror, yet watching on the scene as if he couldn't tear his eyes away. And I realized then.

He must've thought we were in the middle of sex.

"Kankuro, get out!" Gaara snarled towards his brother, the whole time concealing my body from view of his brother. I could practically feel his fury but he had no choice, he either defended my honor and dignity or kicked Kankuro's ass, he couldn't do both right now.

Kankuro's face was still that of extreme horror. "You guys-!"

"GET OUT!" Gaara yelled, throwing out his arm and pointing out of the room.

Kankuro scuttled out of the room, stealing one last peek behind him, possibly to see check if he'd actually _seen _what he thought he had. He shut the door behind him and Gaara and I sighed, his head coming to rest on the pillow by my head.

"Temari's going to kill me," I groaned, raising a hand to my face, covering my eyes and massaging my temples.

"You always say that," he commented, his voice much milder than it had been only moments before.

"This time I really mean it. It could not have looked more like we were having sex," I moaned, sneering.

He didn't respond, his head still buried in the pillow. His body was still pressed against mine, yet he seemed to be resting some of his weight on his forearms either side of me.

I could feel him flaccid against my pubic bone now, the intrusion of his brother stealing all the passion from the room.

If he told Temari, she would kill me.

"Is there such a thing as Wind Coffin?" I inquired, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I had enough time to pack before she woke up.

Gaara's head turned to face mine then, the only response he would be giving to my joke. "I don't think she's home."

"Why not?" I asked, mockingly gleeful. "That means I have enough time to pack, move to the Land of Rice Patties and become a farmer. She'll never find me."

He shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "She'd have heard me shouting and have come to see what was happening. We're fine for now."

I sighed. "Do you think we should get up and go talk to him?" I questioned, wrapping my arms around his back, feeling down his spine, the ridges and plains of his body, the feel of smooth skin rather than grains of sand armor, so supple, so soft.

"No. Just leave him. He shouldn't have come in without knocking anyway," he deduced, moving his head so that the tip of his nose touched mine, the feel of his warm breath washing over my face. "It's none of their business what you and I do together when we're alone."

At that moment, I heard the sound of the front door slam downstairs and I tensed, the sound of Temari's hurried footsteps coming upstairs. She always came up quickly, like I did, unlike Gaara who took his time. They were quirks you picked up when you lived with the Sand Siblings, like that Kankuro never remembered to turn off the bathroom light and that Gaara always left the carton of milk out on the counter.

"Aimi, she'll be more worried about you becoming pregnant or me rushing you, not the other way around," he chided gently, a small smile playing about his lips. He didn't seem as frightened as I was. After all, he had his _Ultimate Defense. _

"_You don't know!_" I hissed. "You're her baby brother!"

"Guys?!" Temari called down the hall. "Are you up? I have something to show you! Get up, get up, get up! It's really important!"

She sounded cheerful; Kankuro couldn't have intercepted her yet. She certainly wouldn't sound cheerful then.

"Come on, Lord Gaara," I groaned, teasing him a little, reaching up to kiss his noise. "Let's go face the music."

"If she gets out her fan, we've always got my sand," he replied, that lovely smile still on his splendid face.

"I'll hold you to that," I told him, running my hand down his chest one last time, memorizing the delineations, the shape of his body. He did the same, his hands spending a little longer cupping my breast, holding the swell of my hips, his eyes following the path he made for himself, committing it to memory.

He shifted off me then, sighing and sat up on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes and sitting on the edge of the bed, a blood-red Adonis in his luster.

I rolled off the bed and onto my feet very slickly, going to my chest of drawers and pulling out a pair of little black cotton panties, tossing them onto the bed. I pulled out a matching bra then, hurling it to the bed also. I didn't notice Gaara watching me.

"What? What're you looking at?" I asked, folding my arms and raising an eyebrow at him, smirking.

He didn't reply, the shadows of a smile on his face as I stuck my tongue out at him and walked towards the bed, trying quite desperately to carry off looking attractive for him, knowing he was watching.

I stepped into the panties and put the bra on, sea foam eyes analyzing every movement, every motion like it was important. Next, I went to my drawers and pulled out a clean catsuit, pulling it on in a much less attractive fashion I thought than the underwear had been. But still, he watched, still naked himself.

When I was dressed, I pointed out, "You need to put your sweatpants on for this to look more like we didn't have sex, Gaara."

He gave me a withering look, but nevertheless, obliged, pulling his sweatpants on and the T-shirt I'd originally worn to bed last night.

"Are you two coming out here or what?!" Temari yelled from the living room. "I'm getting old here!"

"Yeah, we're coming now, hold on!" I shouted back.

He walked towards me, composure itself and took my hand, completely unfazed, leading me out of the room and down the hallway into the living room. I looked around wildly for Kankuro and, unable to find him, I settled a little.

Where was he? Was he about to burst in momentarily and scream, "They were doing it!"?

_Calm down, Aimi. Like Gaara said, it's none of their business what we do together when we're alone, _I told myself as we rounded the corner and found Temari settled onto one of the sofas with two huge shopping bags.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Look what I got!"

And she thrust out one of the bags in our direction.

"What is it?" I asked, stepping forward to take it from her and looking in to see an array of maroon colored fabrics, black pants and a gray holster vest. "What's this for?"

"Well, I've been thinking, you know, since Gaara's going to be the Kazekage, maybe he needs to _dress _more like a Kazekage," she hinted, gesturing towards her little brother who was looking over my shoulder down into the bag. Then, she picked up her own bag. "It's not just you, Gaara. I went out and got some new clothes for myself and Kankuro too since it looks like he might be heading up the new jonin forces and I'll be a diplomat. I think we could all do with making a better impression."

I turned to see Gaara's expression and found he was cocking his head. I grinned at the sight of him, watching his intrigue.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, Temari," I agreed, nodding appreciatively, handing the bag to Gaara. "Wait, how come you didn't get me anything?"

"I think you look fine. The elders might not agree with me," she admitted. "But you're a kunoichi, not a diplomat."

I nodded in agreement. "Hey Gaara, why don't you go try that on?"

"Yeah. Hey, do you guys know where Kankuro is?" she asked quizzically, looking between us both. I gave Gaara an alarmed look out of her sight line, but he kept his expression steady.

"I think he's in his room sulking. He walked in on something he probably wished he didn't this morning," Gaara explained, turning on his heel and walking off, to get changed presumably.

And that was it. Temari didn't question what or ask why; she merely pulled out her new outfit, a black kimono with a red obi and asked me my opinion on it.

"I love it! I love the colors! It's gorgeous. It'll really bring out your eyes," I complimented, sitting by her on the couch and beaming at her. She grinned back.

"So… what was it that Kankuro walked in on?" she inquired tentatively, raising her eyebrows at me as she folded up her kimono and placed it back in her shopping bag.

"Oh… that. Er, you don't want to know," I mumbled, looking at my feet.

"Aimi, would you rather I found out from my knucklehead brother or from you?" she probed, giving me a look that told of the comradeship we'd built up between us.

"Oh, alright then," I grumbled testily. "I think he thought we were having sex. _But we weren't!_" I said before she could cut in. "We were… discussing the possibility of it and I'm not gonna say it wasn't on the cards but there was no actual, er… you know."

Temari crossed her legs then and tilted her head. "You need to wait."

_Here comes the lecture. _"Why?"

"Because neither of you were clever enough to think about contraception," she answered and I gasped.

"Oh my God, you're right!" I exclaimed. "I didn't even think – How do I get it?"

She turned to me and gave me a cynical smile, nevertheless laced with love. "The council will probably provide you and Gaara with contraception anyway once he's Kazekage if you request it. Until then, I'd just wait if I were you two. Otherwise you have to go and buy it yourselves and if civilians found out, it'd be all over the village."

"Or we could get other people to-"

"No," she interrupted, giving me the same withering look her brother had shot me only minutes before. "Just wait a while, okay? I know you and Gaara aren't just fooling around, I get that. But I'm not ready to be an aunt yet so just wait a while, let things settle down. Maybe wait until he's Kazekage?"

I groaned. "But that could be _so far away_!"

She shook her head. "It won't be. The council wants to pass it through quickly so the Sand can have a leader and be stabilized once again."

At that moment, Gaara walked back into the room dressed in a long-sleeved crimson coat with flaring hemlines, emphasizing his grandeur even before he spoke. Over the top, he wore a gray holster vest that seemed to be held in place by a single strap over his left shoulder and by two buckled belts. He wore a pair of casually wore belts around his waist and full length black trousers with a pair of laces on each leg.

Temari was right.

He looked like the Kazekage.

"Oh my God!" Temari and I exclaimed simultaneously, Temari clapping her hands together.

"See how much older you look, Gaara? You look the part now. It looks great! Seriously, it looks amazing!" Temari stated, getting to her feet and circling her brother, grinning at him before going heading down the hall to get Kankuro.

"Aimi?" he questioned, clearly seeking my opinion.

"She stole all the words. You look… incredible. You look really amazing," I breathed, getting to my feet and moving towards him. "You look so damn _handsome _as well."

I couldn't resist kissing him once more, a fleeting, rough kiss full of fiery passion as I pressed my lips to his and clutched at a clump of his scarlet hair before releasing him and taking a step back, looking him up and down. "Seriously, you look like a Kage. You look like a leader and… did I mention you look real handsome?"

At that moment, Temari and Kankuro came down the hall, Kankuro unable to meet my eyes.

"Doesn't he look like the Kazekage?!" Temari cried, gesturing to Gaara who rolled his eyes and moved to sit down on the couch, probably wanting to be left in peace.

"He does," Kankuro agreed, although he seemed unable to meet his eye.

Temari went into the kitchen then, to begin preparing breakfast and I went to sit by Gaara, splaying my legs out across his lap and leaning against his side, his arm coming over my shoulder protectively.

"I do like this new outfit, Gaara," I murmured to him as Kankuro sat on the other sofa, seemingly unknowing what to do with himself. In the end, he switched on the television. "It looks great on you."

"Er… you guys? Can I talk to you?" Kankuro began. I turned to him, finding his eyes glued to the screen.

"Sure," I said coolly, knowing Gaara was listening too.

"You… er… need a lock on Aimi's bedroom door… I think… y-you know, so no one walks in and sees what I saw," he stuttered, refusing to make eye contact with us.

"You decided to burst in," Gaara stated. "You know the rule in the house- knock. You've been teasing Aimi for weeks about me and her, and now you're upset that it's come back on yourself. You only have yourself to blame."

Kankuro had no response; he merely looked dumbfounded that Gaara had so much to say on the subject.

"We weren't doing what you think we were doing either, Kankuro," I told him truthfully, smiling at him, finding that he was making eye contact with me now. "I'm not going to lie to you, it was on the cards, but we weren't doing it and we wouldn't have done it with you on your way to the pot."

He nodded vigorously. "Well, I appreciate that. I can go to the bathroom in peace now."

"Why? Were you having some pretty frightening experiences beforehand?" I tormented, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, but only because I've seen your face in the morning and the image is forever burned onto my memory and it just won't leave," he shot back with a smirk on his face.

We would be just fine.

* * *

**Author's Note: Long ass chapter.**

**Also, just checking. Is everyone okay with Gaara and Aimi sleeping together when he becomes Kazekage pretty soon? Speak now if you're not or forever hold your peace. **

**Do you think fifteen is a sickeningly young age to make a little lurrrve? **

**Review! **

**Also, if you've read a good story recently, PLEASE TELL ME OF IT.**

**Okay, so if you want to know why I have Gaara a tiny tiny tiny bit dominant _in the bedroom_ sometimes in this fic and if it offends you in any way shape or form or you just want to know more, leave me a review and I'll PM you and I'll explain if it bothers you because the reason is because I think that is genuinely what he would be like sometimes. **

**I promise you this WILL NOT AT ALL become a dom/sub fic. AT. ALL. But like in waaaaay later lemons, just picture that they're not always going to be making slow love to like, Adele discussing what sandwich they ate for lunch between sipping tea.  
**

**But consider that it will all be mainstream fic lemons.  
**

**Do you get where I'm coming from? Please let me know if you do.**

** I really value your opinions. Do you think this is how it'd be? I don't know, I understand that this is my fic but you guys read this too and I feel like we're friend, like internet friends and you give me inspirations so you should REVIEW and tell me what you think! :)**


	37. Chapter 37

_**DISCLAIMER - I do **_not _**own Naruto.**_

_**Rated 'M' for sexual situations and lemons, violence and bad language. **_

* * *

_She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel._  
_She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool._  
_And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree._  
_And the most she will do is throw shadows at you,_  
_But she's always a woman to me._

**_- Fyfe Dangerfield, She's Always a Woman (Billy Joel cover)_**

* * *

**Aimi's POV**

Two mornings later, I awoke to the sounds of shuffling papers, the scribble of a pen on paper, the pressure of which was a little too much to be considered cordial.

I inhaled deeply, soaking in the fresh scent of the morning and rolled onto my back, a little surprised Gaara hadn't reached out to embrace me and wish me good morning.

_I'm being spoiled,_ I pondered cheerfully, but then a darker thought entered my mind. _Would he even be here half as much when he was Kazekage?_

I opened my eyes and found him next to me, sat up in bed with a stack of papers in his hand, scrolls sprawled out across his lap. He was writing furiously, his brow creased in concentration as he worked.

"Good morning, gorgeous," I greeted, beaming at him. His frown immediately dissipated as he noticed I had awoken and his expression spread into a small smile. However, I could see the strain in it.

"You haven't been working all night, have you? What's wrong?"

His brow furrowed again. "It seems the reservoir is running low and since the Rain village has started locking down its security, we can't transport enough water here since they're being... difficult."

"Can't you get it from somewhere else then? Like the Land of Lightning?"

"It doesn't rain a lot there," he dismissed, shaking his head at me as if I was talking nonsense.

"Sure it does. High mountain ranges bordered by the sea on two sides. They must have an area of that land where it rains extensively," I explained, trying not to smirk at his attempts to cover up his surprise at my geographical knowledge. "Man, didn't you listen at all in the academy during academic study time?"

"Not really," he admitted, smiling despite himself. Then, he sighed, slamming his papers onto his lap. "I'm not suited to economics or diplomacy. I'm better on the battlefield."

"That's why you have me and Temari," I told him, shuffling closer to him and leaning on his arm, pressing my lips against his bare shoulder. "You were chosen for this because you're going to make an incredible Kazekage. Nobody expects you to know everything straight away. And I'll help you in any way I can."

He wrapped his arm around me, the velvet caress of his skin on mine instilling a sense of comfort within me. He'd been right next to me but I felt like I'd missed him overnight. He placed his head on mine, sighing once more. "I'll have to see about trading Gold Dust with the Hidden Cloud."

"Is it scary?" I asked. "You know, knowing that in a few months, you'll be the leader of every single person in this village, that's it up to you to govern and protect us all?"

He shook his head, sharp contours and hard angles, a strong jaw line and those sea foam eyes, so full of vitality, encircled by those black markings. He was striking, savage-looking, in every sense of the word. "No. The ties that I have formed to the people of this village make me want to lead them to better things. I want to make a difference."

It occurred to me then that while Gaara would always be just Gaara to me, he still took my breath away.

We spent the morning trading knowledge about politics and economics in bed, trying to teach each other what we knew already. Eventually, however, the clock on my bedside table hit eleven and I knew we'd have to get up eventually since today was the day we had my doctor's appointment.

I felt a swell of embarrassment at the slight excitement I felt just at walking down the street by Gaara's side, in public. We rarely went out just the two of us and this would be the first time since it had generally become public knowledge that Gaara was very likely to become Kazekage that we would do so.

At eleven forty five, Gaara and I left the apartment and I locked the door behind us, a light wind neutralizing the usually stifling heat, picking up the hemline of Gaara's cloak, making it flare around his legs like it was alive, like it had its own mind. It crowned him, making him seem larger, even more intimidating than usual.

"A sandstorm is coming," he commented mildly, his eyes narrowed as his eyes looked to the west while I locked the door behind us.

"_How_ do you always know stuff like that?" I questioned, running my fingers through my hair, sweeping it back and turning to stand by him, looking out west to where he was looking at what seemed like cloudless cyan sky.

"I can feel it on the winds," he stated, his cloak still lapping around him in the light breeze. He seemed to have moulded his gourd to being larger since changing outfits too, unless he'd just grown a lot recently.

I couldn't understand where all this growth had come from, why he suddenly seemed so much older, like one day he'd woken up and he was a man.

"Come on, let's get going or we'll be late," I beckoned, inclining my head in the direction of the hospital, where my appointment would take place.

I wondered vaguely if I'd look much smaller compared to him now since I wore such tight-fitting clothes and he now wore something similar to robes and carried that gourd with him, larger than ever.

We rounded the corner onto the main street and he surprised me by taking my hand, as if it was nothing, as if we'd done it hundreds of times before, and laced his fingers with mine.

I grinned, knowing that the blood was rushing to my face as we walked up the main boulevard, many villagers either greeting us, "Good day, Lord Gaara, Lady Aimi!" or whispering to one another about our presence, a rarity without Kankuro or Temari. They probably thought we were on a date, considering we were holding hands. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear with my other hand, still beaming.

At that moment, a jolly looking elderly man approached us. "Good morning to you, Lord Gaara! Ah! And I see you've brought out the little lady with you today! How lovely! What're you two up to this fine day?"

"We're on our way to the hospital for some test results," Gaara told the old man, squeezing my hand, letting me know he wasn't about to reveal anything. "It's just routine but I thought we could take a stroll and see the village."

"Ah! Excellent! Well, I hope it all goes well for you! I'm hoping those stuffy elders push the Kazekage decree through quickly for you. They certainly are taking their time, aren't they?" And the man guffawed, slapping Gaara's arm as men did, in playful comradeship. His gaze shifted to me then, appraising me.

"Will you and the little lady be moving in together when you become Kazekage, Lord Gaara?" the man asked, eyes on me, however his question clearly directed at Gaara.

"Yes, we will, sir," Gaara told him, pulling me a little closer discreetly.

"Well, good luck to you both! Anyway, I must be off! That gold won't sell itself, right?" And he waddled off, chuckling at his own joke.

"Who is that guy?" I whispered, as we continued walking, although he was long out of earshot.

"His name is Fumio," Gaara explained, nodding at passer-bys. "He owns the company who are responsible for resourcing and supplying the majority of our Gold Dust. At the moment, the elders are reluctant to fund his program due to the state of the village so he's waiting until I get in power so he can start making money again."

"So he's using you?!" I asked accusatively, my voice coming out much louder than I would've liked. "Fire his ass!"

He turned to me, his lip curled upwards in amusement, the closest to a grin I would ever get. "It's politics, people are usually after their own gains. Dismissing people is not usually the answer. If I am to do what is best for this village, I must deal with the cards I am dealt. He may be using me but he is a shrewd businessman."

"Well, if it was me, I'd have fired his ass," I grumbled, my expression turning sour. He shook his head at me, still smiling. I saw a couple of ladies behind him giggle at our exchange, watching on in polite curiosity, surveying the soon-to-be Kazekage and his girlfriend interacting naturally.

"Come on, we're going to be late and I've already 'fired enough asses' this past week if they get upset with us," he beckoned, his joke rolling off his tongue like a sliver of music.

I snorted. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're the ultimate team; we'd just kick their butts if they got mad."

He didn't disagree with me.

* * *

**Gaara's POV**

Aimi Uchiha was by no means conventionally perfect.

Even now as we walked down the streets, her little hand in mine, I could've picked out things that made her a dark horse, the flawed image of beauty.

As she turned to me, her eyes giving off a sense of wonder that I still couldn't understand whenever she looked at me, I noticed that one of her eyes was slightly smaller. One eye was more oval-shaped than the other, the eyebrow of which she arched frequently. In doing so, she gave off an air that seemed almost arrogant, that she was so self-confident; questioning herself would simply not be a possibility. This air was something I had witnessed long ago in her brother.

In fact, as I studied her face, I noticed that her face was by no means symmetrical. She styled her hair in a side parting, a great weight of dark hair billowing off into the wind, emphasizing that her eyes were very slightly different sizes.

Yet her face was exquisite, luminous pearly skin with an olive undertone, high cheekbones and a small slender nose. Her eyes seemed to catch the light in a way I'd never seen in another human, as if the sun sought out the fragments of green and brown in her eyes, desperate to shine off the passions she so often exuded from her eyes.

Her mouth was a little awry, leading to her smile being slightly crooked.

But her smile did things to my heart, to my soul that I couldn't explain. It lit up her splendid face like a halo, those eyes dazzling when she beamed, her cheekbones becoming more pronounced.

Her smile had a contagious air, one that you could feel yourself getting swept up in, losing yourself to it.

I was in love with her smile.

Such a concentration of fleeting happiness when she smiled did not seem real.

But she was real, despite her ethereal smile and those eyes that constantly gave away her emotions. That was where she and her brother differed, his obsidian ones carrying all the mysteries of their clan upon his shoulders.

"It's not fair!" she would complain, her pale pink lips pouting, their natural swell emphasizing her displeasure. "You and Sasuke are cut from the same cloth, you're both so mysterious. And then there's me... the open book."

She didn't understand how endearing it was to me that I'd spent so long full of hate, a monotonous, constant emotion and then she had come along and she could feel several different emotions within minutes, constantly unrestrained.

"She's messed up as hell," Kankuro would often comment with a sad smile. It wasn't that he thought any less of her for it or that he loved her any less, it was mere fact in his opinion.

She was unpredictable, volatile and I wasn't sure she knew what she wanted from life sometimes. She was high maintenance and she could have mood swings so fiercely that occasionally even Temari would stop trying to understand her.

She never reacted the way I expected her to. When the doctor at her exam had gone behind her back, I would've expected her to deal with the situation herself. But instead, she came home to me, crying, needing me to deal with it.

She frequently needed affection and while she was often kind, she could be suddenly cruel, such anger instilled in her by loss and heartbreak that sometimes Kankuro joked that even I, Gaara of the Desert, wouldn't be able to halt her fury if she got mad with me.

But she rarely got seriously mad at me or anyone, I noticed, as we continued down the street, villagers greeting her warmly as we walked down the street, enchanted by _that smile_ and the way she gazed up into the cloudless blue sky with such hope.

However, when she was in a bad mood, she stomped around the apartment, usually picking a fight with Kankuro over nothing. Her lower lip would jut out once more, her eyes as bewitchingly sharp as when sharingan was activated. It was her body's natural defence when her eyes burned like that, a warning not to mess with her.

The way she raged around the house when something had ticked her off, be it the fact that I hadn't slept over the night before or that she'd found out a close friend back in the Leaf had been seriously injured, however childish - something she _could_ be when she wasn't thinking rationally - I still found it enticing. It was like a challenge to me when she walked around like she owned the place, confident in her anger. Moments later, we often found ourselves tangled up together, be it on her bed, up against a wall, it hardly mattered. Our limbs, tongues, lips, fingers would snarl sinfully together, undulating, desperate for one another.

But it wasn't in spite of her imperfections that I loved her. It was a good proportion of the reasons why I did.

I loved challenging myself to make the creases between her slim eyebrows fade, to see if I could make her whisper her affections for me, to see if I could make those eyes, like shattered glass, glaze over with lust.

I loved that she looked almost sarcastic when she arched her eyebrow, brown hair flowing over her breasts, radiating a self-confidence that made me hopeful that neither of her brothers would ever truly manage to destroy her, because she was outrageous, wild and somehow so captivating that she and Naruto simultaneously had pulled me from the darkness and thrust me into the light.

I loved that I got a surprise at every turn, that I had to roll with the punches. I had been through enough in life to know I wanted more than a partner in life whose beauty was merely dainty, only delicate. I knew I didn't want someone who would have my dinner ready on the table and a constant smile upon rosy lips. I didn't want someone who didn't defy my expectations at every turn.

It was one of the reasons I was so dominant with her in the bedroom, a primal urge to conquer her, to win her over taking over my body, to claim her.

I didn't want someone who consistently never needed me and was totally independent nor did I want someone who would constantly rely on me.

And I loved the juxtaposition of her dependence on me. All the times we had been training and on missions and I'd received an earful for trying to protect her flashed through my mind, her sharingan glinting red at me as she shouted, "I don't _need_ protecting!" And then the little, more insignificant moments, like when I'd be in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water and I'd hear a scream and a flurry of curses, along with her growling, "Gaara, get in here!" I'd rush into the living room and find her on the couch cradling her foot and wincing.

"I stubbed my toe and it hurts so bad!" she would whine and reach out her hands towards me for a cuddle, my arms a combatant to the trivial pain. But of course, she'd be in my arms the next second, biting her lip and cursing the coffee table like she had a personal vendetta towards it.

I wanted that feeling of anticipation when events whirled around our lives and I was awaiting Aimi's reactions. I wanted contrasting beauty, daring dark eyes and hair and pale skin. I wanted that volatility, that provocation to try and tame Aimi Uchiha through kisses or cuddles or even a smile while we lazed around under sheets stained by the sunrise.

And then the more animalistic things, like the way her behind entranced me in that catsuit even now, as she walked with a sway. It was pert, round, everything a man could dream of.

I watched her then as we continued to make our way to the hospital. The shape of her body was so feminine, so many curves, that the desire the take her home and make her mine even now, welled up inside of me.

I loved the way she bit her lip when she was anxious, the way her ample breasts bounced when she walked with that strut. I loved the way she smelled like berries, sandalwood and vanilla, a scent I couldn't get out of my head, a scent I never wanted to get out of my head. It was like coming home.

I loved the way she brought out the worst of me, making me possessive, jealous and animalistic, sensitive towards any man who so much as looked at her for more than a few seconds. Because Aimi Uchiha was mine; she had been since the day I'd seen her perched leisurely on that tree branch with wide eyes as she took in the sight of me, unable to disguise her fascination with me in that moment.

Even then, I remembered wanting her as I told her I was curious about her. I didn't understand how back then, as I remembered the desire twisting inside my stomach and I mistook it for bloodlust. I didn't understand how much she'd come to mean to me.

I loved that she brought out the best of me. Even now as the hospital came into view, I did not ignore or aim to evade the people who nodded and beamed at me as I passed. I nodded back, acknowledging them courteously. She had taught me about people, about choosing my own path.

I hadn't known I had it in me.

"You're quiet today," she remarked suddenly, unconsciously running her fingers through her tousled hair, a dark mahogany color under the sun, the red shades highlighted during the light of day.

She's shown me photographs of her family recently and I'd gathered that she resembled her mother so closely, it was a little uncanny, aside from her coloring. She had told me she had generally inherited her father's coloring, a little more like her eldest brother than her twin.

It had not escaped my notice that Mikoto, her mother, was very attractive. I hadn't thought of her father as so, at first, but his coloring was indeed striking.

Did she inherit her insightfulness, her ability to read me like a book from her mother or her father?

I wondered vaguely if her parents would've approved of our relationship, if they would've approved of me.

"Gaara, are you okay? Is someone bothering you?" she quizzed gently, stroking the back of my hand with her thumb.

"I'm fine. I'm just hoping this appointment goes well," I answered honestly as we entered the hospital.

We entered a reception area, a large desk in the center of the room, rows of plush sofas encircling it, large potted plants dotted around it.

I made a note to have these plants removed when I ascended to Kazekage. They were clearly a waste of money, space and maintaining them would be a waste of water.

_We could have cacti in here if they say we need something to make it more welcoming_, I compromised internally as Aimi released my hand, sauntering right up to the desk and leaning on it.

"Hi!" she greeted warmly to a baffled woman behind the desk who was clearly dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of the dark-haired kunoichi. Her expression mellowed out as she clearly recognized her, 'the Kazekage bride'. "I'm Aimi Uchiha. I'm here for some test results."

The receptionist looked behind her then, clearly looking for the 'Kazekage'. Her pale eyes found me and she grinned at the sight of Aimi and myself together, clearly pleased to see I had accompanied her. It was as if the majority of the villagers openly supported and encouraged our relationship, as if Aimi's relationship with me was something that was becoming close to their hearts.

The receptionist looked down at a list of papers gathered on her desk and scrolled down it with a pen, looking for Aimi's name.

"Ah yes," she stated, finding whatever she was looking for. "Please take a seat. Someone will come and lead you to where your consultation will be held."

Aimi grinned and spun on her heel, going to take a seat on a large navy blue couch, right next to where a large money plant was thriving. I went to sit by her, folding my arms and trying not to complain about the waste in the hospital.

"Hey, Gaara?" Aimi asked, turning her head to me, her eyes somehow still luminous even indoors. "What happens if I'm not?"

I caught her eye, our gaze locking. It didn't escape my notice that several people, patients and onlookers were watching us, desperate to see the future Kazekage and his girlfriend going about their day-to-day lives.

_Probably wondering what we're doing here_ together, I thought sardonically.

"If you're not what?" I asked, knowing perfectly well what she meant, just wanting her to say it.

She didn't tear her gaze away from me as I expected but held me with those hazel eyes, her sporadic confidence coming back to her. "What happens if I'm not fertile?"

I couldn't understand how she could look at me like that, so confident, when we both knew that this had been bothering her since her examination. I decided to make light of it, to attempt to calm her a little. "If you're not fertile... I think the council elders may just find me another bride."

"Hey! Shut up!" she squeaked, lightly smacking my arm and squealing, her face bright with her grin.

But I could see past it as her smile fell away.

Worry. Fear.

I caught her hand lithely at that moment, however and held her steady. "No. It doesn't matter to me if you're fertile. You're Aimi."

The worry faded away from her eyes then as I reassured her and she grinned, her teeth flashing. "It's not like it even matters at this point either, right?"

"Aimi Uchiha?" a voice called through the quiescent foyer, the few people who hadn't spotted us turning their heads every which way to get a glimpse of the Kazekage bride.

If she noticed, she didn't even react, getting to her feet and shaking out her mane of hair. I too, rose and followed her to the desk where a plump looking medic with a kind smile and a clipboard greeted us.

"Lady Aimi, Lord Gaara." She nodded to us, still beaming. "If you'll step right this way."

She headed off down a corridor, Aimi and me following. I did not miss Aimi's subtle sneer at the term of address.

_Lady_ Aimi was still something she couldn't get her head around, I had gathered, whereas I'd been used to being referred to as Lord Gaara since I was young.

We followed the nurse through winding passages, passages I was a little familiar with since I had already had to visit the hospital on official business a few days ago and was due to again to meet with nurses and doctors so they could get to know their Kazekage.

Aimi stayed silent, occasionally sighing as we followed the plump lady.

Finally, we stopped at a door that read, "Dr Noguchi."

I had met him before. He had been the personal medic of my father and my family since we were born, so this would not be new to me.

I pondered about this moment, the moment when Aimi too joined our family, becoming one of his patients.

The nurse knocked on the door timidly and I heard a familiar deep voice call, "Come in."

The nurse gestured for us to go straight into the room and Aimi went first, never one to shy away from meeting new people. I followed behind her.

The room we entered was large and circular, grand in every aspect of the word. It exuded the word, "elite", a large oak desk commanding the center of the room, crimson splashed across the canvas of the wall. Intimidating bookshelves filled with books and papers haunted the corners of the room proudly and a large picture of the Sand village, painted with a view from above, displaying the sprawling nature of the habitat hung in a golden frame behind the desk.

Seated behind that desk was a thin man that I recognized easily, so thin he looked like he might have been stretched. His glasses sat on the bridge of his Roman nose, slightly too big for his face, over which beady eyes surveyed us. The man's lips spread into a thin papery smile as he recognized me.

He got to his feet. "Ah! Lord Gaara, what a pleasure," he gushed, bowing. However, we had rarely been in each other's company of late. The last time I had seen him properly was two years ago, in which case, that certainly would not have been any kind of pleasure. He turned to Aimi then, whose face was bright with a smile. "And is this the famous Aimi Uchiha I keep hearing so much about from everyone?"

"That would be me, sir," she confirmed, bowing a little in acknowledgement.

"My, my, how very sweet you are, my dear!" he enthused.

I saw alarm bells then. If there was anything Aimi hated, it was being underestimated and she was rash enough to go off first impressions with nearly everyone she met.

_This may not go well_, I groaned internally.

She surprised me by giggling and thanking him, in a good enough mood to play along with the pompous charade of one of the best medics in the Sand village.

He gestured for us to have a seat in the two plush chairs situated in front of his desk. We did so and Aimi leaned towards me unconsciously, something which if I'd have questioned her about, I'm sure she wouldn't have even noticed she'd done.

"So... fertility tests? That's not easy for anyone, especially considering what a performance it was," Noguchi quipped, smiling sympathetically at Aimi. She was his patient in this moment and so it would be her that he would talk to primarily.

"Yeah," Aimi agreed, chuckling. "I don't think they're for me, doctor. I'm glad I did them though."

_Liar,_ I thought smugly, trying not to smirk at her. She hated every moment of it. Who was she kidding?

Doctor Noguchi caught her gaze at that moment, still smiling at her and I noticed a look of intrigue in his eyes as he surveyed her over the top of his crooked glasses. "Shall we get on with your results then? I'm sure Lord Gaara and yourself are anxious to know the results."

I nodded and Aimi's facade faded a little as she squeaked, "Yes." She was truly a little nervous.

I reached out for her hand, taking it in both of mine and placing it in her lap, letting her know she wasn't alone in this as I offered her any support I could.

I did not miss the warm look the doctor gave our intertwined hands as he opened a sienna file that had already been placed on his desk.

I could feel Aimi's little hand sweating in my own, sense her inhaling deeply. The pressures the council were putting her and her body under were immense, especially at a time when it shouldn't even matter. We were too young to have children so why all the rush now? Why was I being forced to place Aimi in this hospital room after having her insides probed and examined?

"First of all, your height and weight are absolutely fine," the doctor began, reading from the file, his brow furrowed. "Your body fat percentage is 17% which is a little low for your age but you have a lot of muscle tissue due to you being a shinobi. It's a little higher than your average shinobi, in fact."

"That's okay though, right? It's not like I need to lose any weight, is it?" Aimi panicked, leaning forward.

The guilt spilled through me like someone had opened a floodgate at her words. _Why_ was this happening? Why should she be made to feel insecure about her weight for the sake of a baby she wouldn't have for years? She was perfect the way she was.

"No, absolutely not. Your body is perfectly in proportion as it is, at the moment. If you lost any fat tissue, you might suffer some complications if you were to get pregnant, so I would definitely suggest staying as you are," the doctor explained, his eyes down on the paper. Aimi sighed beside me.

"It seems that when we tested you, you were indeed ovulating from your blood tests. Your follicle-stimulating hormone, oestrogen levels and luteinising hormone levels are normal. No sexually transmitted diseases, the smear test was completely fine, no abnormal cells, no signs of lumps or abnormalities around your pelvis. Your internal was fine, it seems," he read off the papers quickly with a smile across his face, nothing worrisome to slow him down. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Aimi was fine.

"The liver function is normal, as are the skin cells we studied in the laboratory," he finished, leaning back, exhaling too and beaming at Aimi who looked as if she might fly. "So, everything is absolutely normal."

"So, I'm fertile?" Aimi breathed, her eyes dancing as she glanced at me, giving me an ear-splitting grin. "I'm fertile!"

Noguchi chuckled. "Yes, indeed you are. You should have no problem bearing Lord Gaara a child."

"Damn right!" she cheered, punching the air with a devilish smirk before pointing to me, her index finger inches from my nose. "Although don't you go getting any ideas. It's a long while off yet, mister."

The doctor seemed to perk up then, closing the sienna file and clasping his hands together on the desk. He observed us, our hands still laced together on Aimi's lap.

"Now, that reminds me. There is one more thing I've been asked to discuss with you on behalf of the council," Noguchi stated. "Since it is technically my job to oversee your… family planning, I have been asked to discuss contraception with the pair of you."

I immediately felt Aimi tense up a little, very pointedly not meeting my eyes, her back poker straight as she sat up. She was biting her lower lip, baby pink and full. I felt heat trickle down my torso at the sight of it, right down to the area between my legs that had once passed those lips, nestled deep in her throat.

_Get a hold of yourself, _I reprimanded myself, keeping my eyes on Aimi. It was her decision after all.

"Have you two discussed-?" Noguchi started, but he was cut off by Aimi.

"What are our options? You know, considering I'll be away on missions sometimes and we _definitely _won't be looking to conceive for a long while," she elaborated, leaning away from me then, onto the armrest opposite mine. It was almost as if she was _embarrassed. _When we'd already seen each other completely naked and when I could hardly call myself a virgin after that one incident of oral sex on my birthday, so long ago now.

"You could have something called the coil fitted-" Noguchi began but he stopped once he saw the grimace on Aimi's face, her clear displeasure for being probed, evident in this moment. Her internal examination had probably put her off for life. "But maybe that isn't suitable for you. We could also prescribe you the contraceptive pill but with such a busy lifestyle, it may not be suited to you. However, there is something called the contraceptive injection which contains the same agent as the contraceptive pill, it merely works for three months and then you will be required to come and get a top up."

"That sounds better," Aimi conceded, nodding sharply.

"How does that sound to you, Lord Gaara?" Noguchi questioned, turning to me.

"It's Aimi's body therefore it is her decision," I responded, squeezing Aimi's hand to let her know that I was _here _but that I wasn't about to suffocate her or tell her how to live her life. I would've been happy to utilize condoms if she didn't want to take any action.

After a few moments, I felt her squeeze back lightly and she gave me a small stunning smile. Was she really _that _nervous?

The doctor then made arrangements for Aimi to be given the injection there and then in the hospital, calling in a nurse to help him prepare the jab as he described to Aimi how it would work. I zoned out a little, my mind drifting to the morning's pedestrian traffic ledger I was supposed to look over today. I had already asked Kankuro to pick it up for me earlier but there was no telling that he'd have it back by the time we got home. And on top of that, I probably would need to go over the _afternoon _pedestrian traffic ledger later on. I needed to figure out a way to lessen bureaucracy and heighten proficiency.

I mulled over my thoughts as the nurse came over to Aimi's side, with a warm smile.

"Now, Miss, if you'll just either roll up your sleeve or else make your bicep visible," the nurse advised. Aimi didn't even flinch, reaching up for the zip on her catsuit and pulling it down to her midriff. I started to gaze to the opposite side of the room to give her a little privacy before remembering that I'd seen this dozens of times. And if we were going to live together, _really _live together, I'd only see it more frequently.

Thankfully, she wasn't wearing particularly racy underwear today, just a plain black bra, conservatively hiding her breasts. Even so, I couldn't help but admire her fair skin with that olive undertone. It looked so smooth as my eyes graced her neck, her clavicle, hidden by the tresses of hair falling down her front.

The nurse reached out for her arm, straightening it, her eyes appraising Aimi's face.

At that moment, Aimi suddenly grimaced, her features twisting as she squeezed her eyes shut. She gripped my hand tightly, clinging on as if her life depended on it.

"Lady Aimi, are you-?" the nurse began as she wiped her bicep down.

"She's fine, she just despises injections. It's probably best if she doesn't talk. She could be sick if she talks," I explained to the nurse, offering her a small smile in apology for Aimi's inability to communicate.

In all fairness, the doctor was gentle with her and within a minute, it was over, Aimi's whimpering nearly inaudible as the doctor injected her with progestogen.

"Well then, that's all done, Lady Aimi," Doctor Noguchi confirmed and Aimi sighed deeply, leaning back in the chair, her unbreakable grip on my hands relaxing.

"Do you feel sick?" I questioned, stroking circles on her hand with my thumb, wanting her to open those eyes and reassure me that she was okay.

She nodded, a look of exhaustion crossing her features.

"That's perfectly natural for someone who is a little squeamish," the doctor guaranteed, seating himself back down behind the desk, the nurse bustling around the desk, clearing up. "Can we expect to see you back here in three months' time? Hopefully you'll have been officially declared Kazekage by then, Lord Gaara."

I nodded to the doctor absent-mindedly in response, keeping my eyes firmly on Aimi.

She was more important to me than the Kazekage title anyway.

* * *

We exited the hospital swiftly, Aimi complaining about the mild ache of her arm, holding it gingerly.

"Do you think I'm a baby about stuff like this?" she asked me, wincing as we headed back for the apartment.

I tried to stifle a smirk. "What on earth could make me think that?"

She stuck her little pink tongue out at me, still clutching her arm. "I'm never getting stabbed for you again. At least not for another three months."

"It'll be worth it," I told her, reaching out for her other hand, the one next to me that she wasn't clutching as if she'd broken it.

_God, she could be dramatic sometimes, _I thought wryly, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face. Who was I kidding? I loved it when she got like that, playing the damsel-in-distress. It made me want to protect her a little more. And I think she knew that.

She perked up then, releasing her arm and cocking her head towards me, her eyes glimmering, the slightly more dominant brown shades shining a strange sort of amber color as her face angled towards the sun due to our height difference. "What are you trying to say?" she said accusatively, raising an eyebrow.

I raised an eyebrow right back, challenging her. She already knew exactly what I was trying to say, I wasn't about to be coerced into playing her games. I loved this part of us. We were both strong personalities and we challenged and met each other's trials with vigor.

_God help us if we ever get into a serious fight, _I thought satirically, trying not to smile at her.

"Whatever," she murmured, smirking and biting her lower lip again as we headed back down the street, her hair curtaining her features, trailing in waves down her back. She shook her head and glanced at the sky, her locks picking up around her face in the light breeze, giving her an otherworldly look, as if she were more than merely mortal.

"Let's go out to lunch," I suggested, spotting several onlookers watching us once more. Was this how it would be from now on, people watching us, living vicariously through our relationship? I wasn't sure I minded at this moment in time as Aimi and I walked down the street. I couldn't find a reason to be disgruntled or displeased as I watched her hair dance around her face, her eyes light up at my proposal.

"Really? Aren't you too busy with work and stuff though?" she asked, trying to disguise her glee at my words. It was such a childish expression, so full of innocence that I was struggling not to kiss her right here in this bustling street with so many bystanders, it was like being on constant display.

"I can always make time. Besides, I don't sleep so I'll just do it tonight while we're in bed," I explained, unable to stop the images of her in just a T-shirt of mine filling my head, long toned legs on display for me as she walked around the room.

She was clearly thinking along a similar route with the dark smirk she shot me then, those _eyes _never looking dirtier, more like she was undressing me right there and then.

This was it about never knowing where I was. In the doctor's office, she was a little timid when it came to discussing sex and yet here in the street, at my clear intimation, she looked like she might devour me.

I had to forcibly calm myself down; tearing my eyes away from her, trying to desperately quell my body's eager reaction to her sheer sex appeal.

I took her to a local kaiseki restaurant, the best in the Sand village. Its roof was one of the only places in the entire village that had been fashioned even mildly like that of the Leaf village, a clay pavillion crowning the restaurant.

We entered to the sounds of plinking piano music playing overhead, dim lighting gracing the room, exuding a sense of evening. Several more plants were littered about the place, seeming to be in just as much abundance as customers.

_More wasting money._

At that moment, a young waiter rushed towards us. "Lord Gaara! Lady Aimi! Good day to you both!"

Usually we'd have needed a reservation but the publicity this restaurant could gain from having us dine here was substantial enough for them not to bother. I was surprised they hadn't already asked for a photograph.

"A table for two, please," I requested, placing my hand lightly on the small of Aimi's back for support.

"Of course, of course!" the waiter agreed, gray eyes shining as he took us in, bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. He led us to a table at the very back of the room, fully on show for all to see yet far enough away for other tables so that we wouldn't feel swamped.

_Perfect _I thought smugly, pleased that I'd have Aimi's attention all to myself for once. Usually, I had to share her with Kankuro or Temari or papers and scrolls from the elders.

Aimi sat opposite me, relaxing into her chair, looking up at me from under bold thick lashes. I watched as her eyes traced my features, my eyes, my mouth, my neck and then my clothes.

"I really like this new look, you know," she told me seriously, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs, that damn _smirk _still on her face. I watched then, mesmerized as she opened her mouth a little, lips pouting. I watched her tongue trace snow white teeth and it was all I could do to suppress the urge to growl, unable to stop the rumbling in my chest.

"You look very sexy," she whispered, leaning forward across the table, resting her chin on her clasped hands, elbows propped up on the table. Unconsciously, I mirrored her movements, my gaze locking with hers, the intense look in her eye lighting a fire in my stomach, my body reacting again against my will merely from her expression.

_And she is mine. _

I wondered how Shukaku felt watching her. The desire I felt for Aimi seemed similar to the bloodlust I used to feel, an insatiable urge to conquer, to own. But with Aimi, it felt so much stronger, as if I could quite easily take her on this table so very _roughly _and with all of these people giving us sidelong glances and muttering to their companions about our presence.

And I could now that she'd have that injection, I could have her any single night I wanted her. So many minutes, so many hours were available for us to make love now.

The waiter came over at the moment, asking what drinks we would like.

I observed Aimi intently, knowing she would be the one to speak, watching her tongue dart out once more, licking her lips, giving them a luscious shine as she turned to the waiter and said, "Just two waters, please."

She looked back at me with that same ferocity again. "What?" she asked, biting the inside of her lip, teasing me. She knew perfectly well what. "Why are you looking at me like that? Your expression hasn't changed since we got here."

"Neither has yours," I commented haughtily, sitting up, unable to stop my eyes sliding down to her chest where her zip was open since she had not fully closed it since exiting the hospital, the shadows of her cleavage visible to me.

"You know, some days I find your strong silent elite thing really hot and then other days, I want to kick your ass for it," she remarked, just as the waiter came over and produced two waters. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder then, her smirk becoming a little more playful, less laced with _sex_ as she teased me.

"And which is it today?" I questioned, merely humoring her, deciding to play along with this little game. I could have my way with her tonight, she could lead the conversation as much as she liked during the day; she knew the second we got in that bedroom tonight whom she belonged to, who was really in control. She could play these stupid games as much as she wanted, trying to push me out of my comfort zone, to say something that would empower her but I could see it in her eyes. She wanted me.

Tonight, I'd make her moan.

"Today, I think I'm kinda turned on by it," she muttered, knowing I was watching every facial expression, every pucker of her lips, and every flash of her eyes like it was _so damn important. _Everything she did was significant, sending a rush of electricity to the section of my body I would be thrusting into her throat tonight.

My upper lip curled as the waiter bustled over to us, asking us what we'd like to eat.

"He'll have miso soup, takiawase with chicken gizzards and gohan please," she noted to the waiter, looking up at him with those big doe eyes, radiating innocence, as if she hadn't just been whispering sex to me across the table in this dim evening lighting. The waiter didn't seem able to make eye contact with her, pointedly taking a note of her order, scribbling furiously. "And I'll have mukozuke, hiyashi-bachi and some gohan."

She looked back at me then with a coy smile twisting on princess pink lips as the waiter disappeared.

_Delicious, _I thought hungrily, refusing to allow a trace of emotion to enter my expression. This was how our sexual relationship best worked, one top, one bottom. It was a perfect match how she naturally fell into the submissive role, playing up outside of the bedroom so I would dominate her when we returned. She was so vocal with her emotions whereas I naturally was a stoic being, unfazed by passions and sentiments until I _truly _lost myself in her.

_And we haven't even had sex yet, _I mused, my expression steady, completely muffling the excitement that was spilling through my body at that thought of finally taking what was rightfully mine, making love to her, worshipping her.

"Gaara, you know when you're Kazekage?" she asked, her voice singing a little towards the end as she tailed off. I didn't respond, waiting for her to continue. "If you're not going to wear the hat, can I have it?"

It was all I could do to not groan as an image came to my mind involuntarily; her silky body sprawled out across the desk of my future office when I had ascended to position of Kazekage. The sunlight bathed her naked skin in a warm glow, so much flesh for my eyes to feast on as she held the forest green Kage hat to her head, which was thrown back in ecstasy as she moaned my name whilst I pounded into her.

My expression must have faltered at that moment because her face went dark again, that _incorrigible smirk _returning, knowing she was winning_. _

I hated that.

Damn it, where was that food so I could take her home already?

"You're preposterous," I observed, folding my arms and exhaling slowly, trying to relieve some of the tension I could feel building up in my body already.

"And you're hot as hell," she shot back, giving me a look that could easily have been mistaken for arrogance, one I had seen very often on her brother's face as she sat up suddenly, arching her back so that her curves became even more pronounced.

At that moment, the waiter who had served us and who had been unable to look Aimi in the eye called out to the entire room. "May I have your attention please? We've just received warning that a very large sandstorm is headed for the Sand village. We request that you evacuate immediately back to a safehouse as we are not licensed to keep customers on sight during such times and it is believed that it will most certainly last a couple of days. Please make your way home. Do not worry yourselves about payment."

Aimi and I sighed simultaneously. I had known it was coming indeed, as I had mentioned earlier but I thought I'd at least get to spend a mealtime with her.

"I hate it when you're right," she grumbled, getting to her feet and stretching.

But the prospect of a while indoors with her, completely hidden away from the rest of the world, without the burden of work was too great to pass up.

And so I replied, with a warm smile, a smile full of affection rather than lust, "I don't."

* * *

**Author's Note: Would you like another chapter on Wednesday about 5000 words or say an 8000 word one next Saturday? **

**Also, I'm thinking of changing the name of this story to simply "The Shukaku And The Sharingan". Good idea or bad idea, guys? I'm a bit worried people'll think it's more about Shukaku and it's not. That bitch barely makes an appearance.**

**Also, now you've finished, go read Tango with Death by KiraChan44, the America to my soul. I love her deeply and I also genuinely really like the story. It's a GaaraOC about a girl named Kira and it's not AU, it's just a few OCs thrown into the Naruto world and it's just awesome. It's like this one, I guess! :) So yeah, go check it out.**

**Also, please leave me your tumblr handles so I can follow you and we can love each other on there too. **

**But yeah, when would you like me to post? I can do either Wednesday or Saturday.**


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